The Ukrainian military confirmed that it had struck the Chonhar Bridge, connecting Russian-occupied part of Kherson Oblast and the occupied Crimean peninsula early on July 29.
The Strategic Communications Directorate of Ukraine's Armed Forces' confirmation comes shortly after Russian proxies in the occupied territories of Kherson Oblast accused Ukraine of attacking the railway connecting Dzhankoi in Crimea and Henichesk in Kherson Oblast with cruise missiles overnight.
Russian-installed proxy in Kherson Oblast Volodymyr Saldo claimed that Ukraine had “fired 12 long-range Storm Shadow missiles,” and that “Russian air defense downed all of them.”
The Russian Defense Ministry reported later in the day on July 29 that its air defenses had “downed seven Storm Shadow missiles” over the past day.
An outpost and infrastructure were “slightly damaged” by the missile debris, according to Saldo.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claims.
Dzhankoi, a train hub in northern Crimea, sits around 75 kilometers south of the port city of Henichesk.
On June 22, Russian proxies claimed that the Chonhar Bridge, a key connection between occupied Crimea and Ukraine’s mainland, was damaged in a strike. Saldo once again claimed that it was carried out by Storm Shadow missiles without providing evidence of their use.
Dzhankoi lies around 35 kilometers from the Chonhar Bridge.
Saldo, who was once Kherson's mayor and councilman, as well as a national lawmaker, is one of the highest-profile Ukrainian collaborators and stands accused of treason. He fled Kherson before it was liberated by Ukrainian forces on Nov. 11.
Francis Farrell
(Updated: )
