KYIV: Russia claimed on Saturday that its forces successfully destroyed three Ukrainian naval drones in an attempt to attack the crucial Crimea bridge connecting Russia to the annexed Crimea, resulting in the temporary closure of the Crimea bridge for the third time in less than a year. A single naval drone was destroyed late Friday, followed by the destruction of two more early Saturday morning, as confirmed by Russia’s Defense Ministry. Ukrainian officials have not yet commented on the incident.
The Kerch bridge, a vital supply route for Kremlin forces engaged in the conflict with Ukraine, has been the target of multiple attacks since Russia initiated its full-scale invasion. In October, an explosion, attributed by Russian authorities to a truck bomb, claimed the lives of three individuals. Another attack in July resulted in the death of a couple and severe injuries to their daughter, leaving a section of the bridge in precarious condition.
The bridge serves as a significant logistical and psychological asset for Moscow, facilitating the transportation of military and civilian supplies and symbolizing Kremlin control over the annexed Crimea since 2014.
On Saturday afternoon, shelling in Russia’s Belgorod region, bordering Ukraine, resulted in the death of one civilian and the injury of two others, as reported by Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. Two Ukrainian drones targeted the Valuysky district, causing minor damage to a private residence and a car. Simultaneously, Russian air defenses intercepted another drone in the Grayvoronsky district.
In a separate incident, a woman sustained injuries during shelling of a village in the neighboring Kursk region, which also shares a border with Ukraine. Regional Governor Roman Starovoit attributed the shelling to Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities, who typically refrain from commenting on attacks on Russian soil, have not confirmed their involvement, but drone strikes and shelling along the Russian border are recurrent events.
War Between Russia and Ukraine
Meanwhile, in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, which is currently under Moscow-installed leadership, four individuals were wounded due to Ukrainian shelling, according to Mayor Aleksei Kulemzin. Donetsk is the capital of the Donetsk province, which was among the four Ukrainian provinces annexed by Russia in September. The city fell under the control of Russia-backed separatists in 2014.
The Ukrainian military reported on Saturday that, within the past 24 hours, Russia had launched four missile strikes, 39 airstrikes, and 42 attacks using multiple rocket launchers. In addition, one person was killed and two were wounded during shelling in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, according to Governor Oleh Prokudin.
Further north in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, which is President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown, Mayor Oleksandr Vilkul stated that the city’s anti-aircraft defenses had successfully thwarted an unspecified strike. The nature of the attack was not disclosed.
British military officials issued a warning on Saturday, suggesting that Russia risks dividing its forces in an effort to impede a Ukrainian breakthrough in the south of Ukraine. According to British intelligence reports, Ukrainian forces continued to make offensive progress on the Orikhiv axis in southern Ukraine, with units advancing toward the first line of Russian defenses.
Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar had announced on Friday that Kyiv’s troops were advancing in the Zaporizhzhia region.
In a diplomatic development, the Kremlin disclosed that Russian President Vladimir Putin would hold talks with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan next week. This comes a little over six weeks after Moscow terminated an agreement brokered by Ankara and the United Nations that had enabled Ukrainian grain to reach global markets safely despite the 18-month-long conflict. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Putin and Erdogan would meet on Monday in the Russian Black Sea resort city of Sochi.
