Russia accuses Ukraine of using British missiles to attack bridges in Crimea

Russian officials announced that Ukraine used Storm Shadow missiles to attack the bridge between the Crimean peninsula and Kherson province to threaten civilians.

"Ukraine carried out a barbaric attack on civilian structures, bridges crossing the administrative border between Kherson region and the Crimean peninsula, located near the village of Chongar," the Russian-appointed acting governor of Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, announced on June 22.

Mr Saldo said preliminary reports showed Ukraine had used Storm Shadow missiles to attack several bridges in Crimea, causing damage to the bridge decks but causing no casualties. Mr Saldo said the bridges would be repaired soon and traffic could resume in the near future.

"Ukrainian terrorists want to intimidate Kherson residents and sow panic, but they will not be able to do this," Saldo said. "We will respond to every enemy action. Traffic between Kherson and Crimea will continue, vehicles will move along the backup route."

The deck of a bridge over the Chongar Strait near the village of the same name in Kherson province was damaged after an airstrike on June 22. Photo: Telegram/Vladimir Saldo

Sergey Aksyonov, the Russian-appointed leader of the Republic of Crimea, said experts were assessing the type of weapon used by Ukraine to strike the bridge near the village of Chongar and the condition of the structure.

Earlier, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on June 20 that Ukraine planned to attack the Crimean peninsula with Storm Shadow missiles and HIMARS rockets. Mr. Shoigu warned that if Ukraine carried out the above plan, Russia would launch a strike on the enemy's decision-making command center in response.

Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula after a referendum in 2014. Ukraine, the US and the West called this an illegal move. Ukraine has repeatedly said it would take Crimea back by force.

The Crimean peninsula has recently seen a number of attacks by drones, unmanned boats and missiles, as Ukraine launched a major counter-offensive to seize areas controlled by Russia. Russia has repeatedly accused Ukraine of attacking the Crimean peninsula, but Kiev has often denied responsibility.

On May 11, the UK announced that it would provide Ukraine with Storm Shadow/SCALP EG cruise missiles. This type of missile has a range of 250-560 km depending on the variant, with a maximum speed of 1,000 km.

Location of the bridge over the Chongar Strait near the village of the same name in Kherson province. Graphics: RYV

Nguyen Tien (According to RIA Novosti )

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