June 22 (Reuters) – A Ukrainian missile hit the Changar Bridge that connects Russian-held territories in the Kherson region with the Crimean peninsula, the Russian-appointed leaders of the two regions said on Thursday.
The Russian-appointed governor of Kherson, Vladimir Saldo, said the road was damaged but no casualties were reported.
According to him, Storm Shadow missiles were used for the attack.
Crimean Governor Sergey Aksyonov said specialists were examining the site to determine when traffic can resume.
Known as the “Crimean Gate”, the Chongar Bridge is one of the only bridges connecting Crimea – annexed by Russia in 2014 – with the mainland, providing an alternative to the narrow strip of land that connects Crimea to the continent.
The takeover of the region stretching from the western coast of the Sea of Azov to the eastern bank of the Dnieper River was one of Russia’s major successes in the war, allowing Crimea to no longer be cut off from territories controlled by Russia.
For Ukraine, destroying this bridge could give it an advantage in the recovery of the peninsula and be a lever in future negotiations.
Ukrainian leaders for their part reported a drone attack on the night of Wednesday to Thursday on the port city of Odessa, where a warehouse was destroyed. (Reporting by Reuters; French version Zhifan Liu, editing by Kate Entringer)
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