Bridge linking Crimea to southern Ukraine damaged in drone strike, Ukrainian military confirms (VIDEO)

A bridge near the village of Chonhar connecting occupied Crimea with Russian-controlled parts of southern Ukraine was damaged in a Ukrainian drone strike overnight on June 7, the Ukrainian military confirmed, releasing video footage of the operation.

Earlier on June 7, Volodymyr Saldo, the Russian-installed head of the occupied part of Kherson Oblast, claimed the bridge had been damaged by Ukrainian drones.

The reported strike comes as Ukraine intensifies efforts to disrupt Russian logistics routes supplying occupied Crimea and front-line forces in southern Ukraine.

The attack on the Chonhar Bridge was a joint operation of Ukraine's Code 9.2 drone unit and 1st Separate Assault Battalion, the military said. The strategic aim was to cut off Russian troops' only means of delivering personnel, ammunition, and fuel to the front lines near Huliaipole from occupied Crimea.

"This was done specifically to block the supply routes for fuel and lubricants for the the 37th Motor Rifle Brigade," said Dmytro Filatov (call sign "Perun"), commander of the 1st Separate Assault Battalion.

The attack was carried out with Ukraine's homemade Fire Point drones and new long-range Behemoth UAV, the military said. The strike caused significant damage to the bridge, which will require "a colossal amount of work" to replace, according to Code 9.2 Unit Commander Oleksandr Nastenko (call sign "Flint").

"We know from our sources that the enemy is very distressed," Filatov said.

According to Saldo, the attack damaged the bridge deck near Chonhar. He said traffic through the Dzhankoi road checkpoint, located on the administrative boundary between occupied Crimea and the occupied part of Kherson Oblast, was suspended for "security reasons."

The Kyiv Independent could not verify these reports.

The Dzhankoi crossing forms part of a key land route linking occupied Crimea with mainland territories under Russian control and serves as an important logistics corridor for Russian supplies.

The reported attack comes amid growing logistical difficulties on the peninsula.

In recent weeks, occupied Crimea has experienced fuel shortages that Russian authorities have linked to disruptions in supply chains, while Ukrainian strikes have increasingly targeted fuel infrastructure and transportation routes.

Ukraine has steadily expanded its medium-range strike campaign, regularly hitting Russian military facilities and logistics hubs located between 20 to 300 kilometers (12 to 186 miles) behind the front line, both in occupied Ukrainian territories and inside Russia.

Many of these strikes have focused on the so-called land corridor connecting Russia to Crimea through occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts, a route critical to sustaining Russian military operations in southern Ukraine.

Ukraine's new Behemoth drone, a Shahed-style UAV that can carry two warheads, belongs to the "middle strike" class of drones and has a combat range of up to 300 kilometers. It can fly at low altitude, making it harder for Russian air defenses to detect and intercept.

Ukraine's military reported on June 6 that drone operators from the 3rd Special Operations Forces Regiment had established aerial control over part of Russia's supply network leading to Crimea.

When reporting the strike on the Chonhar Bridge, the Ukrainian military said the attack was "not an isolated incident" but part of a systemic effort to degrade Russian operations on the front lines.

"This is definitely just the beginning, you'll see now," Nastenko said.

"What will happen? I simply suggest everyone buy some popcorn. Sit down, watch, and enjoy. This is just the beginning."