A Ukrainian attack in Crimea keeps the bridge in the Kerch Strait on alert

First modification: 07/22/2023 – 15:51

3 min

kyiv continues to target Crimea, a territory annexed by Russia in 2014 but without international recognition. This Saturday July 22 drone attack caused an explosion in an ammunition depot in Crimea, as the peninsula’s governor confirmed on Telegram.

The head of Crimea, Sergei Aksionov, said that a Ukrainian drone attacked an ammunition depot in the Krasnogvardeisky district of the peninsula, affecting the facilities and forcing the evacuation of civilians up to 5 kilometers away.

Ukrainian attacks on Crimea have intensified in recent weeks as reclaiming this territory is one of kyiv’s main goals. Given the recent attacks, the Russian tourism industry expects the number of tourists to drop by up to 30%, according to the EFE news agency.

The bridge in Kerch, strategic in the conflict

As a result of the recent drone attack, vehicle and train traffic on the bridge over the Kerch Strait, which connects the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula with mainland Russia, was temporarily suspended and then restored. A preventive measure in anticipation of a new attack like the one that occurred on July 17.

“To minimize the risks, it was also decided to stop rail traffic,” Governor Sergei Aksionov said.

“People on the bridge and in the inspection area are asked to remain calm and follow the instructions of the transportation security officers,” local authorities reported on Telegram.

The Ukrainian president, Volodímir Zelensky, had affirmed last Friday that the Crimean bridge “brings war and not peace” and represented a military objective.

“This is the route used to feed the war with munitions and this is being done on a daily basis. And this militarizes the Crimean peninsula,” Zelensky said while speaking via video conference at the Aspen Security Forum, Colorado, USA.

“To us, this is understandably an enemy facility built outside of international law and all applicable regulations. So, understandably, it is a target for us,” he added.

Ukraine accused of using cluster weapons in border town

On the other hand, the governor of Russia’s Belgorod region declared this Saturday, July 22, that Ukraine used cluster weapons against a town near the border.

“In the Belgorod district, 21 artillery shells and three cluster munitions from a multiple launch rocket system were fired at the village of Zhuravlevka,” Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

No casualties or damage were reported. Ukraine has yet to comment on the statement.

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This week, the United States confirmed that Ukraine had begun using the cluster munitions it supplied. Ukraine has promised to use them only to evacuate groups of Russian soldiers and in areas far from civilians.

These weapons are controversial because they represent a high risk for the civilian population, so andThere is an agreement, which includes 120 countries, to prevent its use; however, Russia, Ukraine and the United States are not part.

In Donetsk, at least 8 dead

The Russian attack on Friday against the Donestsk region left at least eight dead according to the latest figures given by the Ukrainian Interior Ministry.

Two civilians died in the city of Konstiantinivka, while 4 died in the towns of New York and two minors died in Druzhba.

“The occupiers shelled Kostiantinivka with Grad missiles. The shelling killed two civilians and injured another. Twenty private houses, cars and a gas pipeline were damaged,” the ministry said in a statement on Telegram.

It was also reported that Moscow launched new attacks on Konstiantinivka and Kramatorksk on Friday night, causing damage to various infrastructures but leaving no casualties. According to the Interior Ministry, Russian forces opened fire on civilians fifteen times throughout Friday alone.

With Reuters, EFE and AFP