Russian air defenses fired down two inbound missiles near the Crimean Bridge on Saturday, the region’s leader, Sergey Aksenov, stated on his Telegram channel. Photos and videos of what appear to be many columns of smoke emerging from the transportation infrastructure have been spreading on social media.
Aksenov added in his post, “Air defenses have shot down two enemy rockets in the Kerch Strait area.” He also stated that the “Crimean Bridge has not been damaged,” and urged citizens to keep calm.
Meanwhile, Oleg Kryuchkov, Aksenov’s aide, stated on his Telegram channel that a “smoke screen has been set off by the special services.” He also stated that the Crimean Bridge would reopen to traffic “very soon.”
Later in the day Aksenov issued another message, saying that one more missile had been downed over the Kerch Strait. The official also expressed gratitude to the Russian air defenses for their “professionalism.”
Ukraine “attempted to conduct a terrorist strike on the Crimean Bridge using a guided air-defense S-200 missile converted into a strike version” around 1pm Moscow time on August 12, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
According to the statement, Russian air defenses “detected the Ukrainian rocket in a timely manner and intercepted it in mid-air.”
The statement went on to say that the foiled missile attempt had resulted in no injuries or destruction.
In response to the latest attempted missile strikes on the Crimean bridge and a separate unsuccessful drone attack on the peninsula early Saturday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova fiercely condemned these “terrorist attacks.”
She went on to say that, despite being a “purely civilian infrastructure,” the bridge had been frequently assaulted.
According to the Russian ambassador, Kiev is targeting the transportation artery in revenge for its stumbling counteroffensive, which has so far fallen short of expectations.
Zakharova concluded that by engaging in such “barbaric actions,” Ukraine is displaying the international community its true face. The official also threatened Russia with retaliation.
Two seaborne explosive-laden drones collided with the Crimean Bridge on July 17, causing one of its inner portions to collapse. Two adults were killed in the attack, leaving their teenage daughter gravely injured and orphaned.
President Vladimir Putin called the event “yet another terrorist attack by the Kiev regime,” noting that the bridge was not being utilized for military materials transfer.
