IN retaliation for Monday’s attack on the Crimean Bridge, the Russian military conducted strikes on Ukrainian facilities overnight using high-precision sea-based weapons.
Russia said the attack was aimed at facilities that were used to prepare what they called terrorist acts against Russia involving unmanned drones, and a shipyard in the southern Ukrainian City of Odesa that produced them.
Moscow forces also targeted depots in Odesa and Mykolaiv. Russia said it contained around 70,000 tons of fuel that is believed to be meant for the Ukrainian military.
“All designated targets have been hit. Fires and detonations have been registered at the destroyed facilities,” Russian Defense Ministry said.
Odesa Administration Head Sergey Bratchuk on Tuesday said that six Kalibr rocket missiles attacked the city, but claimed that all of them had been downed.
Bratchuk, however, noted that port infrastructure facilities as well as several other buildings were damaged due to the strike.
Following the destruction of the Crimean Bridge that left two civilians killed and injured one teenager.
The two civilians were identified as Aleksey Kulik, 40, and his wife Natalya, 36. Their 14-year-old daughter, Angelina, is now orphaned.
Putin vows retaliation for Crimean bridge attack
Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to take revenge and ordered the defense ministry of his country to take precise measures.
Putin said Russia would retaliate harshly for the attack, and urged officials to ramp up security measures around the Crimean Bridge.
Meanwhile, Russia partially opened the Crimean Bridge after the attack, but vehicles are alternating in the use of the right-most lane between Kerch and Taman.
While no pillars were damaged in the blast, one of the inner segments of the bridge has partially collapsed.
Russian authorities said the repairs will take weeks.
The Russian military also said that it thwarted yet another attempted mass drone strike in the east of the Crimean peninsula on Tuesday morning, but no casualties or damage on the ground occurred.
“Seventeen Ukrainian UAVs were destroyed by air defense systems. Eleven more UAVs were suppressed by electronic warfare and crashed before reaching their targets.”
