Chonhar Bridge linking Crimea to Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast destroyed after Ukrainian drone strike, Ukraine says

The Chonhar Bridge in Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast was destroyed following a Ukrainian drone strike on June 9, Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, said on June 10.

"The Chonhar Bridge has been destroyed. The Russian authorities are trying to conceal the situation in occupied Crimea," Kovalenko said.

The news comes as Ukrainian forces have intensified their strike campaign against Russian logistics, including in Crimea, disrupting fuel deliveries on the peninsula and complicating other supplies critical to the Russian army.

Following the attack, Volodymyr Saldo, the Russian-installed head of occupied Kherson Oblast, said the bridge had been damaged and traffic temporarily suspended.

The R-280 "Novorossiya" highway, built by Russian-installed authorities, crosses the Chonhar Bridge in Kherson Oblast and connects Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia with Crimea via occupied parts of Donetsk Oblast, serving as an important route for Russian military logistics and supplies.

This is the second time in the past three days that the bridge has been closed, following an overnight June 7 strike involving Ukrainian FP-2 and Behemot drones, which are used in Ukraine's middle-strike campaign typically covering distances of 30 to 300 kilometers (20–185 miles) from the front line.

Saldo claimed Russian air defenses intercepted more than 20 Ukrainian drones approaching the bridge. The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claims.

The Ukrainian investigative journalism project "Schemes," part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, published satellite imagery from Planet Labs showing the aftermath of the overnight attack on June 7.

The images capture dark burn marks at impact sites and show a pontoon bridge installed where a previously destroyed bridge once stood.

The June 9 strike came as Commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces Robert Brovdi, known by the call sign "Madyar," claimed Ukrainian drone operations had significantly disrupted another major Russian logistics route to Crimea.

According to Brovdi, Russian military cargo traffic along the R-280 "Novorossiya" highway, which connects Russia with occupied Crimea through Mariupol, Berdiansk, and Melitopol, has fallen by 71% over the past two weeks due to Ukrainian strikes.

According to figures provided by Brovdi, daily freight traffic along the route fell from roughly 3,800 vehicles per day to around 1,100.

"Traffic collapse is not a blockade," Brovdi said. "But the current 'diet' imposed on this first land corridor, the lifeline of the occupation grouping, is sensitive and effective."

"We know all your routes like the back of our hand. Try taking the back roads, as ordered. Siberia is your rear base," Brovdi added.

Ukraine is expanding its middle-strike campaign, targeting assets at the operational depth,  focusing on air defense systems, command posts, fuel and ammunition depots, and logistics vehicles.

Earlier, Ukrainian drones gained control of key Russian military supply routes in occupied parts of Luhansk Oblast, the Third Army Corps said on Facebook on May 31.