Russia says it shot down Ukrainian missiles over Crimea bridge

Russian officers say a number of missiles have been shot down over the essential bridge connecting the annexed Crimea to the mainland, the most recent in a sequence of obvious Ukrainian assaults within the area.

The bridge is certainly one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s pet tasks and has ceaselessly been focused as a hated image of occupation.

Two Ukrainian missiles have been shot down on Saturday afternoon, the Russia-appointed Head of Crimea Sergey Aksyonov wrote in a put up on Telegram, including that the bridge was undamaged.

Photos and movies circulating on social media platforms confirmed white smoke billowing from the bridge. CNN has not independently verified the photographs.

An replace from Aksyonov stated afterward Saturday that one other Ukrainian missile had been shot down within the space.

“Another enemy missile was shot down over the Kerch Strait. Thank you to our air defence troops for their high professionalism and vigilance!” Aksyonov wrote on Telegram.

Oleg Kryuchkov, an adviser to the Russian-appointed head of crimea, stated particular providers put up a “smoke screen,” that are used to hide any injury triggered.

Russia’s defence ministry additionally stated earlier on Saturday that its forces had destroyed 20 Ukrainian drones launched on the peninsula in a single day.

‘Barbaric’ assault condemned

Following the tried strikes, Russia’s international ministry condemned Ukraine for what it described as a “terrorist attack.”

“The Crimean bridge is an object of purely civilian infrastructure, attacks on which are unacceptable. It has been subjected to such attacks since the autumn of last year, which also led to the death of civilians,” Russian international ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated.

“Such barbaric actions cannot be justified and will not go unanswered,” Zakharova continued.

Meanwhile, site visitors has resumed on the Crimean bridge, in keeping with the Crimean bridge operative info Telegram account, after it was quickly blocked.

The Crimean bridge is a crucial artery for supplying Russia’s struggle on Ukraine, permitting individuals and items to move into the Ukrainian territories that Moscow has occupied within the south and east of the nation.

Also referred to as the Kerch Bridge, it holds private worth for Russian President Vladimir Putin. In the Kremlin narrative it marks the “reunification” of Crimea with the Russian mainland.

In October, the bridge was partially destroyed when a gasoline tanker exploded and broken a big part of the highway. The Kremlin was fast responsible Kyiv for that explosion, and Putin alleged that it was an act of “sabotage” by Ukrainian safety providers.

The bridge was additionally hit by two strikes in July in an assault a Ukrainian safety official instructed CNN Kyiv was liable for.

Last week the top of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) Vasyl Maliuk stated that any explosions that occur to Russian ships or the Crimean bridge are “an absolutely logical and effective step.”

Maliuk stated that if the Russians needed such explosions to cease “they have the only option to do so – to leave the territorial waters of Ukraine and our land.”