An important bridge linking annexed Crimea to a region of southern Ukraine partially occupied by the Russian army was damaged Thursday by a Ukrainian strike, Moscow said, in the midst of a counter-offensive by Kiev forces. 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, occupied by Moscow forces and repeatedly targeted by shootings. The Kremlin denounced a “lie”.
The main information:
– Ukraine strikes a bridge between annexed Crimea and an occupied area
— Moscow says Ukraine is ‘regrouping’ forces over losses
– The counter-offensive “will take time”, warns the Ukrainian Prime Minister
– Scholz calls on NATO to strengthen Ukraine’s defense capability at Vilnius Summit
Crimea, a peninsula that serves as a rear base for Russian forces
The attack on the bridge in Crimea comes as Ukrainian forces are leading an offensive to liberate the occupied territories in the south and east of the country. Moscow says it is marking time. 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 the occupied south of Ukraine are essential for carrying out 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 and that the damage was being assessed.
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. Vladimir Saldo published a video showing the two branches of the bridge damaged by the strike, one of them visibly more seriously affected with a gaping hole in the roadway allowing the water to be seen below. The Ukrainian forces “seek to intimidate the inhabitants of Kherson, to sow panic among the population”, he accused. He assured that the bridge would be repaired in “a few days”.
“A blow to the military logistics of the occupiers”
Another official close to the Russian occupation in the neighboring region of Zaporizhia, Vladimir Rogov, said a strike also hit a now unused old bridge crossing a swampy area called Syvach, and located a few kilometers west of that of Tchongar. 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, Yuriï Sobolevskiï, considered that the damage inflicted on the bridge of Tchongar was of “great importance”, because “it is a blow to the military logistics of the occupiers”. “The psychological impact for the occupiers and the occupation authorities is even greater. They cannot feel safe anywhere in the Kherson region,” he added.
Ukraine has taken over eight localities since the beginning of June
However, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, continues to assert that the Ukrainian counter-offensive is a failure. On Thursday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Ukrainian forces had “reduced their activities” to “regroup” after suffering “heavy losses”. But the leader 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.
Ukraine, for its part, says it is progressing slowly but surely, while it says it has taken over eight localities since the beginning of June. Analysts say kyiv is testing Russian defenses before throwing the bulk of its forces into battle.
In this context, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday called on the leaders of the NATO countries, who will meet in Vilnius in July, to focus on strengthening military aid to Ukraine, the “absolute priority”. . In addition, 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 nuclear power plant. Zaporijjia where he went last week.