(Moscow) Russia said on Friday that it had intercepted 12 American ATACMS missiles fired by Kyiv’s forces on the Crimean Bridge, which connects Russia to the Ukrainian peninsula it annexed in 2014, during the night.
“Air defense assets repelled a group attack of 12 American-made ATACMS missiles against the Crimean bridge overnight,” the Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram.
“All the missiles have been destroyed,” he said.
This is not the first time that the Russian military has said it has repelled an attack on the Crimean Bridge, which spans the Kerch Strait.
This strategic structure, which connects Russia to the Ukrainian peninsula that it annexed 10 years ago, was damaged by the explosion of a truck bomb in October 2022, an attack attributed by the Russian authorities to Kyiv.
The Crimean Bridge was also attacked by Ukrainian naval drones in July 2023, causing significant damage and killing two civilians.
Although this structure was widely used at the start of the conflict by the Russian army to transport equipment to soldiers fighting in Ukraine, the threats to this infrastructure have pushed the authorities to develop other logistics channels.
In difficulty on the front for several months despite its large-scale surprise offensive in the Russian region of Kursk on August 6, Ukraine has had numerous successes in the Black Sea, repeatedly striking Russian ports or ships and notably sinking the cruiser Moscow.
At the end of June, Russia accused the United States of having “responsibility” in a Ukrainian strike that killed four people and injured more than a hundred others in Crimea, because it was allegedly carried out using American ATACMS missiles supplied to Kyiv, the same ones that Moscow says it intercepted on the night of Thursday to Friday.
The Ukrainian military considers these missiles essential for striking Russian rear lines, far behind the front line.
Capture of new Ukrainian village claimed
Russia claimed on Friday the capture of a village about fifteen kilometers from the city of Pokrovsk, an important logistics hub in eastern Ukraine.
“Thanks to the actions of the units of the Central Troop Group, [la localité de] Seguiivka […] “has been released,” the Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram.
PHOTO REUTERS
Ukrainian servicemen prepare a howitzer to fire on Russian troops on August 13 outside the town of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region.
The day before, Russian forces had claimed the capture of another village in this sector, where they have advanced rapidly since the capture of Ocheretyne in early May.
These advances are a sign of continued pressure on the eastern front, despite the surprise offensive launched on August 6 by the Ukrainian army in the Russian region of Kursk.
While the offensive has attracted much attention, the bulk of the fighting continues to take place in Ukraine’s Donbass, where Russian troops have the advantage.
The town of Pokrovsk, which had a population of some 61,000 before the conflict, lies on an important route to the Ukrainian strongholds of Chassiv Yar and Kostiantynivka.
In recent days, Ukrainian authorities have called on residents to evacuate in the face of advancing Russian troops.