The Chonhar Bridge (in Russian, Chongar) is one of several points connecting the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, with the main part of Ukraine.
Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-appointed governor of Kherson, said on Telegram that the road bridge was damaged in the pre-dawn attack on June 22 but that there were no casualties, according to RIA Novosti. Photos he posted showed a large hole in the bridge’s surface, with water visible underneath. RIA later quoted Russia’s Investigative Committee as accusing Ukraine of firing four missiles at the Chonhar bridge.
Yuriy Sobolevsky, a Ukrainian Kherson government official, said the attack was a “blow to the military logistics of the occupiers,” but the psychological impact was “even more important.” “There is no place in the Kherson region where they can feel safe,” he said on Telegram, according to Reuters.
Saldo also said Ukraine likely used Storm Shadow missiles supplied by the UK in the attack. This is notable after recent threatening words from Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Speaking on June 20, Shoigu said that using Western-supplied weapons, including Storm Shadow missiles, to attack targets in Crimea would mark "full Western involvement in the conflict and would lead to immediate attacks on decision-making centers in Ukraine," according to RIA.
Regarding Kyiv's counter-offensive, the Ukrainian army said on June 22 that they had achieved "partial success" in at least two directions on the southern front, according to Reuters. The country's forces will also continue to organize attacks in three main directions: Melitopol and Berdiansk (in Zaporizhzhia province) as well as Lyman (in Donetsk province).
However, Minister Shoigu said on the same day that Ukraine has gradually reduced its activities and is currently reorganizing its forces after suffering "serious losses" in the past 16 days. According to the head of the Russian Defense Ministry, Ukraine is still capable of launching new attacks, but at the same time, the weapons Kyiv will receive from the West in the future will not significantly affect Moscow's activities, according to RIA.
Also on June 22, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of plotting a "terrorist" attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (in the Ukrainian province of the same name), according to information obtained by Kyiv intelligence. However, the Kremlin denied the accusation, calling Ukraine "lies", according to Reuters.
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