The authorities of Crimea and the Kherson region annexed by the Russian Federation reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked the Chongar bridge and other bridges connecting the peninsula and the region. The messages appeared on the Telegram channels of the “head” of the Crimean administration, Sergey Aksyonov, and the Russian-appointed “governor” of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Ukrainian authorities have not yet commented on reports of strikes.
Aksyonov said that on the night of June 22, a blow was struck on the Chongar bridge, no one was injured. He stated that the bridge was already being repaired and the authorities would announce the resumption of traffic "within an hour."
The balance also claims that the Ukrainian side shelled bridges on the administrative border between the Kherson region and Crimea near Chongar. He did not specify how many bridges and which ones were hit, but he published a photo of the damaged canvas and a video with his participation. According to a preliminary assessment, the Ukrainian Armed Forces used British Storm Shadow missiles to strike, he wrote.
The balance, like Aksenov, promised to restore the movement "soon":
“The Kyiv terrorists want to intimidate Kherson residents, sow panic among the population, but they will not be able to do this. We are able to repair bridges quickly: the passage of cars will be restored in the very near future.”
Temporarily for communication between the Kherson region and the Crimea, the movement of cars along the reserve route is organized.
As noted by the BBC Russian Service, the road through Chongar is the shortest route from Crimea to Melitopol and further to the southern front, where Ukraine is trying to advance.
Storm Shadow is an Anglo-French air-launched long-range stealth cruise missile. The flight range of the export version of the missiles is more than 250 km. On May 11, the UK announced the delivery of Storm Shadow to Ukraine. In May, the pro-Kremlin media outlet Izvestia first published a photo of the Storm Shadow missile that Russian authorities claimed the UAF used to strike Lugansk on May 12. So far, no photos or videos have been posted.
Earlier, Ukrainian military experts interviewed by The Insider said that the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam hits the positions of both the Russian and Ukrainian sides. The leadership of the Russian Federation could take this step in order to contain the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and in order to cut off the Crimea for Ukraine. Sergei Leshchenko, an adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said that Putin did not want to give up Crimea even to the detriment of water supplies through the Dnieper. He could choose between "dehydration of the Crimea" or its complete loss, for more details – in the material at the link.