Key bridge linking Crimea to mainland Ukraine shut down after strike
Drones damaged a key route to Crimea (photo: Getty Images)
Drones struck the Chonhar Bridge again overnight — the only short route between Crimea and mainland Ukraine. Traffic has been suspended, and local authorities in Russian-controlled territory are urging drivers to use alternative routes, according to Defense Ministry adviser Serhii Sternenko and Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed head of the occupied part of Ukraine's Kherson region.
What happened to the bridge
According to reports from local authorities in Russian-controlled territory, drones struck the Chonhar Bridge during the night of June 9 — a crossing over the Syvash Bay that connects Crimea with mainland Ukraine.
Traffic on the bridge has been blocked. Relevant services are working at the site.
The Chonhar Bridge has been targeted in previous strikes (photo: t.me/vanek_nikolaev)
"I ask drivers to use alternative routes via Armiansk and Perekop," Saldo wrote.
Defense Ministry adviser Serhii Sternenko writes that the Defense Forces carried out another strike on the Chonhar Bridge leading to the temporarily occupied Crimea.
As a result of the attack, traffic has been completely suspended.
The Chonhar Bridge area and alternative routes connecting Crimea with mainland Ukraine (photo: Google Maps)
According to Saldo, air defense systems intercepted more than 20 drones on their approach to the bridge.
"Most targets were destroyed before reaching the bridge. I thank our defenders for their work. Without their actions, the consequences could have been much more serious," he said.
Why is Chonhar so important?
The Chonhar Bridge is the shortest and most convenient route between Crimea and the mainland. Russian forces used it to transfer equipment and ammunition from the peninsula to the southern front.
The alternatives — routes through Armiansk and Perekop — are longer and more complicated from a logistical standpoint.
Ukraine's Special Operations Forces drones established aerial control over the Melitopol-Chonhar land route and have been systematically destroying enemy equipment and fuel trucks along this corridor.
Strikes on logistics have already significantly complicated supplies for Russian forces in the south.
Meanwhile, shortages of food products are being reported in stores across occupied Crimea, with sugar, cereals, flour, and pasta disappearing from shelves.
Retail chains have already introduced limits on the number of items customers can purchase.
