The Chongarsky Bridge sits on the administrative border between Crimea and the Kherson region. It suffered damage when a missile strike occurred on the eve of Ukrainian Armed Forces activity, and officials say the repair work will take longer than expected. On Friday, June 23, Vladimir Saldo, acting head of the Kherson region, said specialists would begin essential repairs in the following 15 to 20 days. During this period the intersection will not be open to traffic. He noted that the bridge sustained damage far beyond initial assessments, and crews will assess the best way forward while work is underway, with movement suspended. This update was reported by Russia 24.
On the night of June 22, Ukrainian forces reportedly struck the Chongarsky Bridge using Storm Shadow missiles supplied by the United Kingdom. Previously, Vladimir Konstantinov, the Speaker of the Crimean Parliament, had claimed that the damage appeared minor and that restoration could be rapid, though he indicated that a final determination would come later. He also mentioned that building pontoon bridges had not been considered as a bypass option.
Oleg Kryuchkov, adviser to the Crimean president, stressed that the land corridor through the new territories remained open. Crimea is connected to the Kherson region via three checkpoints, two located in the Armyansk district and one in the Dzhankoy district. The temporary inaccessibility of one checkpoint was unlikely to disrupt the broader logistics of the land transport corridor.
Kryuchkov urged travelers to consider routing through the city of Armyansk for trips to the Zaporozhye and Kryson regions while the Chongarsky Bridge is being evaluated, as noted in his telegraph channel.
Bombardment of Genichesk and Skadovsk
Saldo announced that Ukrainian forces also fired on infrastructure in Genichesk and Skadovsk in the Kherson region, reportedly using four Storm Shadow missiles. Information about casualties and damage was being clarified as rescuers and medical personnel worked at the scene. Local reporting indicated multiple explosions in Genichesk, with smoke visible over residential areas. One agency reported fatalities and damage to a one story house where residents were located at the time of the bombardment. Initial details described the owner of the house as among the dead, though verification was ongoing. These developments were attributed to reports from news agencies at the time of publication.