Ukraine struck a major bridge linking annexed Crimea with a southern region partially occupied by Russia on Thursday, as Moscow says Kiev’s counter-offensive is stalling.
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Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014, serves as a rear base for Russian forces, in particular for sending reinforcements and maintaining equipment. The few bridges connecting the peninsula to occupied southern Ukraine are essential to the conduct of these operations.
“During the night, a strike hit the Changar Bridge”, consisting of two parallel roads linking Crimea to the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, announced the Russian governor of the annexed peninsula, Sergei Aksionov.
He added that the strike caused no casualties. This bridge is on the most direct route between Crimea and Melitopol, one of the largest cities captured by the Russians in southern Ukraine as part of their offensive.
The administration official for the occupied part of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, said Ukrainian forces had likely used long-range British Storm Shadow missiles, an unverifiable claim from an independent source.
Mr Saldo posted a video showing the two sections of the bridge damaged by the strike, one visibly more severely damaged with a gaping hole in the roadway opening to the water below.
Ukrainian forces “seek to intimidate the residents of Kherson, to sow panic among the population”, he charged.
“Psychological impact”
Crimea is regularly targeted by Ukrainian attacks, particularly from drones.
In October 2022, a powerful explosion severely damaged the only bridge directly linking annexed Crimea to Russia.
A member of the Ukrainian administration in Kherson, Yuriy Sobolevskiy, considered that the damage inflicted on the Changar bridge was of “great importance” because “it is a blow to Russian military logistics” which will also have a “psychological impact”.
However, Russia continues to claim that the Ukrainian counter-offensive is a failure.
On Thursday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu claimed that Ukrainian forces had “reduced their activities” to “regroup” after suffering “heavy losses”.
But the head of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigojine, accused Thursday the Russian general staff of “lying” to Vladimir Putin on the state of the situation on the front. “There are colossal problems,” he said.
Cautious, Mr. Putin estimated on Thursday that “the offensive potential of the adversary is not exhausted”, evoking “strategic reserves” still unused by kyiv. He asked the Russian army to “take this reality into account”.
Ukraine, for its part, says it is progressing slowly but surely, claiming to have taken over eight localities since the beginning of June. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Chmygal warned Thursday that the counter-offensive “will take time”, as kyiv seeks to carry out “intelligent” actions. However, he said he was “optimistic”.
Analysts say kyiv is still testing Russian defenses before throwing the bulk of its forces into battle.
Devastated recaptured village
In Storojevé, a village recently taken over by Kiev forces in the east, the damage is visible everywhere: almost no trace of the presence of civilians, houses with destroyed roofs, walls riddled with bullets.
The body of a Russian soldier lies on his back, while Ukrainian soldiers proudly display their prizes, such as bulletproof vests or a helmet, to the sound of artillery exchanges between the two camps.
“We are at home,” says Valentin, who took part in the fighting to retake Storojevé. He hopes that the counter-offensive will repel the Russians and says mischievously that one day he wants to eat “ice cream on Red Square” in Moscow, which he will have bought with Ukrainian currency.
In the midst of a counter-offensive, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday called on the leaders of the NATO countries, who will meet in mid-July in Lithuania, to focus on strengthening military aid to Ukraine, the ” top priority”.
In addition, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday accused Russia of preparing a “terrorist” attack to cause a radioactive leak at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant it occupies. The Kremlin denounced a “lie”.
The director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi is due to meet on Friday in Kaliningrad with the head of the Russian atomic agency, Alexei Likhachev, to discuss the security of the Zaporizhia power plant where he surrendered last week.