The strike on the Chonhar Bridge, one of the few links between mainland Ukraine and Crimea, came two days after Moscow threatened to attack Kyiv's "decision-making centres" if western-supplied missiles were used against Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.
A series of photos and videos circulating on Telegram yesterday showed a large crater on the bridge, with debris littering the roads. There were no casualties reported.
Vladimir Saldo, the Russia-appointed governor of Kherson, suggested the bridge had been targeted by Storm Shadow missiles - long-range cruise missiles which Britain confirmed it had provided to Ukraine last month.
Russian investigators said four missiles had been fired at the bridge by Ukrainian forces, the RIA news agency reported. It quoted a spokesman for military investigators as saying that markings found on the remains of one of the missiles suggested it had been made in France.
Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defence minister, said on Tuesday that the potential use of Storm Shadow and US-made Himars missiles against targets in Crimea would mark the west's "full involvement in the conflict and would entail immediate strikes upon decision-making centres in Ukrainian territory".
Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin June 23, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin June 23, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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