On the afternoon of August 6, the bridges connecting the annexed Crimea with the mainland – Chongarsky and across the Tonky Strait – were shelled. This was reported by the occupation authorities appointed by Russia, photos and videos of the consequences of the strikes were published on the network. Judging by them, the passage on the bridges is now impossible or seriously impeded. Later, the APU confirmed the strikes.
The Russian-appointed “head” of the occupied part of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, wrote about the damage to the bridge connecting the city of Genichesk in the south of the region with the Arabat Spit. According to him, out of 12 Storm Shadow missiles allegedly fired by the Ukrainian military, nine were shot down. The gas pipeline passing near the bridge was interrupted, one person was injured, Saldo also said.
The “head” of the annexed Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, announced a missile attack on the Chongar bridge connecting the Kherson region of Ukraine with the peninsula. There is damage to the roadbed of the automobile bridge; a railway bridge, strategically important for supplying Russian troops, also passes nearby. Checkpoint “Chongar” is closed, traffic is started up through checkpoints in Armyansk and Krasnoperekopsk.
No casualties were reported, Saldo writes about one victim.
Judging by the published photos and videos, the bridges did not collapse, but the roadway was seriously damaged.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed strikes on the Chongarsky and Genichesk bridges. As a result of the bombardment, the roadway was damaged, the Genichesk bridge sank.
Chongarsky bridge was attacked by Ukraine at the end of June. It was then claimed that the strike was carried out by British-made Storm Shadow missiles. Through Chongar, as the Ukrainian military reported at the time, the Russian army provides for the forces that occupied the southern territories of Ukraine.
After damage to two bridges, entry into Crimea from the territory of the Kherson region is still possible through two other border crossings. This route is now used more frequently than before due to damage to the Crimean bridge.
