Russia Claims to Have Prevented Attacks on Crucial Crimea Bridge; Hostilities Result in Multiple Casualties

Russia announced on Saturday that its military forces successfully neutralized three Ukrainian naval drones aimed at targeting a vital bridge that links Russia with the Crimean Peninsula, annexed by Moscow in 2014. This led to the temporary suspension of the bridge’s operations, marking the third such instance within the span of a year.

According to statements by the Russian Defense Ministry, one of the naval drones was taken down late Friday, while the other two were neutralized early Saturday morning. Ukrainian authorities have yet to issue a statement in response.

The Kerch Bridge serves as a critical supply channel for Russian forces engaged in conflict with Ukraine and has been subjected to recurrent assaults since Russia initiated a comprehensive military invasion. A previous incident in October involved an explosion attributed to a truck bomb by Russian officials, resulting in three fatalities. Another attack on the bridge in July severely injured a daughter and led to the deaths of her parents, leaving a section of the bridge in a precarious condition.

The bridge has enormous logistical and symbolic importance for Russia, serving not only as an essential conduit for military and civilian resources but also as a demonstration of Moscow’s control over the annexed region.

In related news, the governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, reported on Saturday afternoon that one civilian was killed and two were injured amid artillery fire near the Ukraine-Russia border. According to Gladkov, two Ukrainian drones struck the Valuysky district, causing minor damage to residential property and a vehicle. Another drone was successfully intercepted by Russian air defense systems in the Grayvoronsky district.

In the adjacent Kursk region, which also shares a border with Ukraine, a woman was injured in artillery fire, according to regional Governor Roman Starovoit, who held Ukrainian forces responsible for the attack.

Ukrainian authorities have generally refrained from commenting on incidents occurring on Russian territory. Nonetheless, drone and artillery attacks along the Russia-Ukraine border have become increasingly routine.

Additionally, Aleksei Kulemzin, the Moscow-appointed mayor of Donetsk—a city in Eastern Ukraine that fell under the control of Russia-supported separatists in 2014—reported that four people were injured due to Ukrainian artillery fire on Saturday.

The Ukrainian military disclosed that Russia had initiated four missile strikes and 39 airstrikes, in addition to 42 artillery attacks involving multiple rocket launchers, all within the last 24 hours.

Further casualties were reported in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, where one individual was killed and two others were injured during artillery fire, as confirmed by Governor Oleh Prokudin. In the northeastern Sumy region, a 32-year-old police investigator was killed, and two others were wounded in artillery fire that struck the town of Seredyna-Buda.

Kryvyi Rih Mayor Oleksandr Vilkul announced successful counteraction against an unspecified attack through the city’s anti-aircraft defenses. Kryvyi Rih is the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

United Kingdom military officials indicated on Saturday that Russian forces risk overextension in their attempts to thwart a Ukrainian counteroffensive in southern Ukraine. According to UK intelligence, Ukrainian military units have made significant progress, reaching the primary Russian defensive line.

President Zelenskyy confirmed the momentum of Ukrainian forces on Saturday, following an announcement by Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar on Friday that troops were making advancements in the Zaporizhzhia region.

In diplomatic developments, Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to host Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for discussions next week, according to a statement by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. The meeting is scheduled to take place on Monday in Sochi, Russia’s Black Sea resort, and comes approximately six weeks after the termination of a joint agreement between Turkey and the United Nations that facilitated the safe export of Ukrainian grain amidst the ongoing conflict.

For ongoing coverage of the conflict, visit https://bigbignews.net/russia-ukraine.

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More about Russia-Ukraine Conflict

• Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Ongoing Coverage
• Significance of the Kerch Bridge in Russia-Ukraine Relations
• United Kingdom’s Statements on Russia-Ukraine Conflict
• Turkey’s Role in Russia-Ukraine Conflict
• Casualties in Russia-Ukraine Conflict: An Overview
• Drone Warfare in Modern Conflicts
• Russian Annexation of Crimea: A Historical Context
• UN Reports on Ukrainian Grain Exports