Local Authorities Say Ukraine Targets Bridges Connecting Crimea, Kherson Region

Preliminary data suggests that the strike utilized long-range missiles supplied by the UK.

Acting Governor of Kherson Region, Vladimir Saldo, condemned the attack on civilian facilities in a statement on Thursday via Telegram. He specifically mentioned several bridges in the Chongar Peninsula area, which serve as vital land connections between Crimea and the mainland. Saldo indicated that the Ukrainian strike employed UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles with a range exceeding 250km, previously used to target civilian facilities in Lugansk.

Saldo noted the damage to the road surface of the bridges but assured that there were no human casualties. He mentioned that the bridge would soon be accessible to vehicles again, clarifying that traffic between the peninsula and Kherson Region was temporarily rerouted through an alternate route.

Sergey Aksyonov, governor of Crimea, confirmed the strike on the Chongar bridge and stated that it did not cause any injuries. He added that bomb experts were working to identify the weapon used, while emergency services were assessing the extent of infrastructure damage.

This incident follows a warning from Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, who stated the day before that Ukraine intended to employ HIMARS and Storm Shadow missiles to target Russian territories, including Crimea. He emphasized that such actions would result in immediate strikes against decision-making centers within Ukrainian territory.

In the previous autumn, the Crimean Bridge, connecting the peninsula's eastern part with mainland Russia, was subject to a deadly attack attributed by Moscow to the special services of Kiev. In response, Russia escalated its long-range strikes on Ukrainian military and energy infrastructure.