Reports indicate that bridges on the administrative border between the Kherson region and Crimea were targeted, with Ukrainian forces allegedly using Western-supplied Storm Shadow missiles. The claim was made by Volodymyr Saldo, the acting head of the Kherson regional administration, on a Thursday in late June. The source attributed the attack to Ukrainian troops and noted damage to the road surface on the Chongar bridges while confirming that there were no casualties among civilians. This information was circulated through the local telegraph channel and later echoed by regional officials.
Saldo added that the transport link between the Kherson region and Crimea remains functional, with traffic across a reserve route temporarily regulated. He stressed that life in the area proceeds, and he warned against attempts to manipulate food prices, promising that price controls and gate restoration would be managed, and alternative crossings would be available as needed.
“A very serious answer will come soon!”
Saldo said that damaged bridges would be repaired within a short timeframe, with teams from other regions, including Rostov, assisting in the restoration process. He, describing himself as a senior civil engineer, anticipated that traffic would return to normal within a few days. The night strike on the Chongarsky bridge was confirmed by Crimea’s leadership, including Sergey Aksyonov, the head of Crimea, who provided preliminary assessments and outlined the ongoing checks by explosives experts and road inspectors. He noted that movement plans would be announced within the hour.
Oleg Kryuchkov, an adviser to Crimea’s president, commented that the corridor linking the peninsula through the newly defined regions had not been disrupted. He explained that Crimea remains connected to the Kherson district via three checkpoints, with two in the Armyansk district and one in the Dzhankoy district. He added that the temporary failure of one checkpoint would not significantly disrupt ground transport plans, and suggested routing through Armyansk for travelers heading toward Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions while the Chongarsky bridge is assessed. The remarks were shared via the telegraph channel.
In response, Andriy Yusov, a Ukrainian security official, remarked that any assessment of events in the occupied areas would hinge on military needs after those lands are liberated. He described the ongoing studies as a systematic, continuing process, presented during a televised telethon.
“Immediate strike on decision-making centers”
Two days earlier, Ukrainian leadership reportedly discussed the possibility of striking additional targets inside Russia, including Crimea, with missiles such as HIMARS and Storm Shadow. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu warned that such attacks would force immediate responses aimed at Ukrainian decision-making centers, signaling heightened involvement by the United States and the United Kingdom in the conflict.
Earlier in the spring, U.S. officials conveyed concerns that Western-supplied weapons used by Kyiv near the border could escalate the conflict. Reuters reported on those warnings and the concerns expressed by Washington about potential consequences of striking Russian territory near the border.