(RightWing.org) – In 2014, Russia illegally annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine. Roughly eight years later, it launched a full-scale invasion of the neighboring nation and took control of parts of the Kherson province. Recently, an explosion damaged one of the main supply routes between the two occupied regions.
Bridge Attack
On June 22, several missiles struck two parallel bridges that span across the Chonhar Strait and connect the Kherson region to Crimea. Russia uses the structures as one of the main supply routes to resupply the military as it seeks to defeat Ukraine. It’s reportedly the shortest route from the peninsula to the front lines in that area.
Reports indicate the missiles damaged both spans of the bridge. Video circulating on social media sites purports to show the moment the attack took place during the overnight hours. Sergei Aksyonov, the leader Russian President Vladimir Putin put in charge in Crimea, reported that there were no casualties in the missile strikes. He didn’t name a perpetrator in the attack, but BBC reported Ukraine took credit.
Natalia Humeniuk, a Ukrainian military spokeswoman, said they were hoping to disrupt the Russian supply routes. Other officials have made it clear more attacks are planned for the future.
Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed leader of Kherson, claimed the attack was perpetrated by Kyiv “on orders from London.” He said the “criminal Kyiv regime” used Storm Shadow missiles given to them by the United Kingdom but wasn’t concerned about the disruption. “We know how to repair bridges quickly,” he said. For now, traffic is being rerouted in a different direction.
War Developments
The attack on the bridge was the latest in a string of strikes as Ukraine embarks on its summer counter-offensive. The British Ministry of Defence released an intelligence update on June 25 claiming the occupied nation’s military has re-set and has “been undertaking major offensive operations on three main axes in [the] southern and eastern” regions. They are reportedly making progress in key areas.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 25 June 2023.
Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/H5IDdCZHR4
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/HasXLi6MAb
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) June 25, 2023
The United States trained about 11,000 Ukrainian soldiers ahead of the most recent offensives. The US Army reportedly built fake Russian defenses, and Ukrainian soldiers practiced breaching them at training camps in Germany. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, the commander for the US Army Europe and Africa, said the scenarios they trained for are exactly what they’re facing now.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is optimistic about the progress they are making but has acknowledged it is slow. And the war doesn’t appear to be winding down in the immediate future.
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