The Antonivskyy Bridge, in southern Ukraine, was the only bridge in the city of Kherson that Russian troops could use to supply their men across the Dnipro River. Last night, however, Ukraine hit the bridge with several massive attacks, reportedly with HIMARS artillery. Images surfaced today show that the bridge is likely rendered useless for the time being.
Russian authorities have confirmed that the bridge is closed to civilians, but claimed that the bridge has retained its structural integrity.
Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russia-imposed Kherson government, said: “Traffic on the bridge is blocked. Indeed, another HIMARS attack was launched overnight.
“We’ve taken care of things like this, and there are actually multiple ferry crossings.”
He added that a railway bridge upstream had also been damaged by strikes and was being repaired.
A Western official said the bridge had been rendered “completely unusable” for the time being.
However, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Armed Forces noted that they were careful not to completely destroy the bridge.
She said: “I will note that we appreciate everything that is in our country, even if it is occupied. There were strikes, but they were complicated.”
Video footage shows large holes in the bridge’s surface, likely making it unsafe for large military vehicles to cross.
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The bridge is especially important to Moscow as it is the best way to supply Kherson, which is facing a Ukrainian counter-offensive. Russian forces there have reportedly begun preparing the city for an impending urban warfare.
The Dnipro River is quite wide, reaching 400 feet in places. It can be extremely difficult for Russian engineers to cross the river. Even if they tried to cross, they would be the main target of the Ukrainian artillery.
News of the strikes comes as Moscow promised to hold a referendum in Kherson in an attempt to annex the region to Russia. Moscow wants to hold the referendum almost immediately, despite a Ukrainian counterattack and partisan resistance there.
Krilli Stremousov said on his Telegram channel: “We want to say that whatever you do, criminal responsibility, intimidation, information terror, there will still be a referendum in the Kherson region that will clearly define the region as part of the Russian Federation.
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“After the referendum has taken place, we will be” [part of] the Russian Federation, it will be a different history, a different country.”
Preparations for a referendum for Kherson to join Russia are already underway, according to the Russian state-affiliated TASS News Agency.
While a referendum would not be recognized by the international community, it could allow Russia to claim Ukraine’s counter-offensive against Russia.
It is unclear how Russia would react in that situation and what, if any, escalation would occur.