Ukraine Recap: Russia Says It Thwarts Missiles Near Kerch Bridge

Russian air defense shot down at least two missiles aimed at the Kerch Bridge that connects the Crimean peninsula to the Russian mainland, its defense ministry and local officials said. Ukraine hasn’t commented on the incident and the extent of any damage is unclear. The lengthy span has been closed to traffic on and off, with multiple explosions reported and images of billowing smoke shown on social media.

(Bloomberg) — Russian air defense shot down at least two missiles aimed at the Kerch Bridge that connects the Crimean peninsula to the Russian mainland, its defense ministry and local officials said. Ukraine hasn’t commented on the incident and the extent of any damage is unclear. The lengthy span has been closed to traffic on and off, with multiple explosions reported and images of billowing smoke shown on social media.  

Russia earlier said Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, was targeted by 20 drones overnight, with 14 taken down by air defense systems and another six “suppressed” by electronic means. No casualties or damage were reported. Separately, Russia attacked Ukraine’s south with five Shahed drones, with three downed in the Zaporizhzhia region, Kyiv officials said.   

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu inspected “remote Arctic garrisons” of Russia’s Northern Fleet and surveyed an historic nuclear testing site on the Novaya Zemiya archipelago with Alexey Likhachev, head of the Russian nuclear agency Rosatom, the ministry said on Saturday. It’s unclear when the visit, footage of which was shown on Russian media, took place. Russia also announced it had sent a detachment of warships from the Northern Fleet to the Arctic zone, including the anti-submarine ship “Vice-Admiral Kulakov” and the landing ship “Alexander Otrakovsky.” 

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