Russian Invaders Claim Missile Strike on Bridge Linking Henichesk and the Arabat Spit

The Russian invaders have announced the closure of traffic on the route from Henichesk through the Arabat Spit to Russian-occupied Crimea.

Earlier in the morning, Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed head of the occupied part of the Kherson region, claimed that one of the bridges on the route had been targeted in an alleged missile strike.

Saldo said emergency and technical services were working at the scene and that the circumstances of the incident were still being investigated.

The bridge in question is most likely the road bridge over the Tonka Strait, which connects Henichesk to the Arabat Spit.

So far, the Russian authorities have not released any photos or videos showing alleged damage to the bridge infrastructure, limiting themselves to public statements.

The route running through Henichesk and the Arabat Spit serves as one of Russia’s alternative military supply routes. It is used to support Russian forces operating in southern Ukraine and to move troops, weapons, and equipment from occupied Crimea to the mainland.

This is not the first strike on the road bridge. In early August 2023, aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force struck it with Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missiles.

The previous strike caused significant damage to part of the bridge, and also severed a gas pipeline running across the structure.

In recent days, Ukrainian Defense Forces have twice attacked the road bridge spanning the Syvash near Chonhar. The bridge is another key route linking the Russian-occupied areas of Kherson Oblast with occupied Crimea.

According to reports, the attacks were carried out using Ukrainian-made long-range kamikaze drones, including the FP-2 and the Behemoth fixed-wing drone, which was first publicly presented in late May.

The Russian-built road R-280 highway runs across the Chonhar bridge. It connects Rostov-on-Don with occupied Crimea via occupied territories in the Donetsk region, including Mariupol.

This route is one of the key logistical corridors supplying Russian forces stationed on the peninsula.