War in Ukraine: the Antonovsky bridge, near Kherson, partially destroyed

An impact on the Antonovsky Bridge, near Kherson, caused by a Ukrainian rocket, July 21, 2022. © AFP - STRINGER

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The fighting seems to be taking a completely different turn in the Kherson region, under Russian occupation.

The Antonovsky Bridge, one of the only Dnieper crossing points near the city, was partially destroyed by a hit from Himars long-range missiles, supplied by the Americans to the Ukrainian artillery. 

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With our correspondent in kyiv,

Stephane Siohan 

In Ukraine, the fighting seems to be taking on a whole new dimension in the Kherson region in the south of the country, where kyiv forces have launched a counter-offensive.

On the night of Tuesday to Wednesday July 27, the Antonovsky Bridge, 1,300 meters long, was hit for the third time since July 19, by

Himars-type long-range missiles.

These multiple missiles supplied by the United States allow the Ukrainian artillery to carry out strikes in depth, in a very precise manner, sometimes at a distance of more than 80 kilometers.

►Also read: War in Ukraine: the city of Kherson, a new symbolic challenge for kyiv and Moscow

The pavement of the work, riddled with impacts, was made impassable at the place of the strikes, and this Wednesday, July 27, the Russian occupation authorities in Kherson closed it until further notice.    

The Antonovsky Bridge is one of the only crossing points on the Dnieper, with the dam of a power station, fifty kilometers away.

However, an estimated 30,000 Russian soldiers are fighting west of the Dnieper, and if the bridges were partially destroyed or unusable, the Russian army could not send reinforcements forward, nor organize a withdrawal behind the river, in the event of a Ukrainian offensive.

We can thus see kyiv's strategy taking shape for the weeks to come: blocking the Russian forces west of the Dnieper and forcing them to surrender.

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