Russia-backed officials say explosion damages bridge linking Ukraine's mainland to Crimea
Russia-backed officials say an explosion damaged a bridge that is one of the few links between Crimea and Ukraine's mainland
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — An explosion damaged a bridge that is one of the few links between Crimea and Ukraine's mainland, Russia-backed officials said Thursday, as the early stages of a Ukrainian counteroffensive unfold.
Russia-backed officials say an explosion Thursday damaged a bridge that is one of the few links between Crimea and the Ukrainian mainland.
Russian forces in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, use the Chongar bridge to reach southern Ukraine’s Kherson province. Russia and Ukraine control different sides of the province, which is a focus of fighting and attacks as Ukrainian troops try to reclaim Russian-occupied territory.
Ukrainian authorities have said that for the country's nearly 16-month war to end, Moscow must withdraw its forces from Crimea as well as from areas they seized during the full-scale invasion that started last year.
