Ukraine says it has taken out a vital bridge at Nova Kakhovka that is vital for Russian forces occupying the southern Kherson region, the BBC reports.
It says the bridge on the dam at Nova Kakhovka – which it has attacked before – is now impassable. The claim has not been independently verified.
It comes just weeks after the key Antonivsky Bridge was put out of action by Ukrainian forces.
Ukraine is waging a counter-offensive towards Kherson city, which Russia captured in the early days of the war. “The destruction of the road bridge of the Nova Kakhovka dam was ensured, with the result that it was taken out of operation,” the Ukrainian army’s Operational Command South posted to Facebook.
In a daily intelligence update, UK defence officials said Ukrainian precision strikes were likely to have made the road crossing over the Dnieper River “unusable for heavy military vehicles”. Nova Kakhovka lies about 55km north-east of Kherson.
Russian forces had only succeeded in making superficial repairs to the main Antonivsky Bridge, the officials said, which Western military sources said was “completely unusable” after a Himars artillery rocket attack last month.
The main rail bridge near Kherson was also further damaged last week, the UK update said.
“Even if Russia manages to make significant repairs to the bridges, they will remain a key vulnerability,” the UK defence ministry said.
It added that thousands of Russian troops west of the river were now “almost certainly reliant on just two pontoon ferry crossing points” for ground resupplies.
Military analysts say there is a growing risk of the troops being cut off from the rest of main Russian occupying forces.
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