At about 23:00 on 20 October, a Kherson Telegram channel reported explosions in the area of the Antonivskyi Bridge, the only road bridge connecting the occupied city of Kherson to the rest of the Russian-occupied southern part of Ukraine. Locals said that the bridge came under fire as the Russian air defenses were active but to no avail – one of the Russian SAM missiles “just fell.” Six hits were heard, which corresponds to the number of GMLRS rockets in one pod carried by HIMARS.
Meanwhile, the popular Russian Telegram channel Readovka claimed that Ukraine launched 12 HIMARS rockets, of which the Russian air defenses ostensibly shot down 11.
At that time, Russian military equipment and troops could have been on the move crossing the Dnipro River, the Kherson newspaper Most suggested as “the invaders have been actively moving to the left-bank (i.e. western, – Ed.) part of Kherson Oblast.”
https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1583193860943273985
On October 19, the chief of the Russian occupation administration in Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, and the Russian Presidential Administration’s Deputy Head Sergei Kiriyenko inspected the crossing.
Local Telegram channels reported that up to seven ambulances rushed to the area after the explosions. Russian Telegram channels claimed that “many civilian cars came under fire,” although it’s next to impossible that civilian cars could be using the crossing at night during the curfew.
“Three [ambulances] drove back heavy (i.e. carrying the wounded), followed by 7-8 cars and a white bus marked with a V sign,” the Khuyovyi Kherson Telegram channel later wrote referring to private reports from Kherson locals.
After the hits on the Antonivskyi bridge, Russian bloggers announced that the ferry crossing in the area of the bridge becomes accessible for civilian cars during the daytime.
All the bridges connecting the Russian “right-bank” grouping of forces in Kherson to the rest of the occupied territory have been damaged so Russia had to use improvised ferry crossings to supply its troops and build new bridges near Nova Kakhovka:
Read also:
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- Ukraine might have hit key bridge Russia tries to repair: “Smoke rises in the direction of Kakhovka power plant”
- Strategically important bridge near occupied Kherson again came under fire this morning
- Ukrainian Armed Forces strike Kakhovskyi bridge in Kherson Oblast
- Ukraine established fire control over southern Kakhovskyi and Antonivskyi bridges
- Ukrainian forces confirm new strikes on 3 bridges in Kherson Oblast
- Russia’s transfer of troops across Dariivka bridge in Kherson Oblast halted — Operational Command South
- Strategically important bridge attacked in occupied Kherson
- Russia begins to create barge crossing near damaged Antoniv bridge near Kherson – British intelligence
- Ukraine further damages bridges in Kherson, Nova Kakhovka; Bakhmut remains front’s hottest spot
- Ukrainian forces hit again the bridge over Dnipro in Kahovka after Russians tried to repair it
