Russian-installed authorities in occupied Ukraine accused Kiev of storming a bridge connecting the annexed Crimea peninsula to mainland Ukraine early Thursday.
“The criminal Kiev regime barbarically shelled civilian bridges on the administrative border between the Kherson region and Crimea near Khonhar,” Kremlin-appointed leader of Kherson Vladimir Saldo said, without naming the number of bridges which the attack was directed.
Several bridges connect Crimea to the partially occupied Kherson region in southern Ukraine via the smaller peninsula of Chonhar.
Photos posted by Saldo to messaging app Telegram showed a gaping hole in the surface of a bridge.
He claimed the attack was carried out by UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles.
No injuries were reported in the strike.
Another Moscow-backed official in occupied Ukraine, Vladimir Rogov, claimed the Chonhar Bridge was hit next to an older, unused bridge.
But Russia’s installed Crimea governor Sergei Aksyonov said only one bridge was damaged.
The Ukrainian authorities did not respond to the allegations, which could not be independently verified.
Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu warned Tuesday that Ukrainian forces are planning an attack on Crimea using Storm Shadows or US-supplied HIMARS missiles.
Shoigu promised swift retaliation if Western weapons were used to attack the territory annexed from Moscow in 2014.
Earlier, the Kremlin blamed Kiev for an October 2022 explosion on the Crimean Bridge, which connects the peninsula to mainland Russia.
Ukraine has denied involvement in the attack.