A video that has gone viral on social media appears to show Russia’s defenses failing to block a HIMARS attack on a strategic bridge in the Ukrainian-held Kherson region.
An unconfirmed video, first posted on Ukraine’s Telegram channel Horevica on Sunday, allegedly shows the moment Russian air defense systems failed to intercept an attack by Ukraine using Washington-supplied HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems) on the Antonovsky Bridge.
Ukraine has repeatedly attacked the bridge with the high-precision ammunition. It is significant because it is the only road bridge connecting Kherson, which lies on the western side of the Dnieper River, with part of the Kherson region on the other side.
The bridge is the main crossing over the Dnieper and a key route for Russia to resupply its troops occupying territory in southern Ukraine.
A soldier of Ukraine’s Kraken special forces unit watches the area at a destroyed bridge on the road near the village of Rus’ka Lozova north of Kharkiv May 16, 2022. Ukraine has repeatedly targeted the Antonovsky Bridge with high precision HIMARS ammunition provided by the US DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP/Getty Images
Head of the Joint Press Center of the Southern Defense Forces, Nataliya Humenyuk, told reporters during a Sunday briefing that strikes against the bridge left Russian forces unable to move heavy equipment.
“The blows inflicted do not currently allow the use of these bridges for the transport of heavy equipment,” Humenyuk was quoted as saying by Ukrainskaya Pravda. “We conduct fire control over all transport and logistics arteries in the occupied territory because, like the occupying forces, we recognize that the enemy has a high dependence on these arteries.”
Humenyuk said Ukrainian forces had already attacked the Antonovsky Bridge, a railway bridge in Kherson and the Kakhovsky Bridge. She stressed that the bridges were not completely destroyed.
“We are currently seeing and observing how the leadership of these military units is gradually using these remnants of transport routes to evacuate to the left bank to feel safe,” added the spokeswoman.
Last week, the UK Ministry of Defense said in an intelligence update that Russia had only managed to superficially repair the damaged Antonovsky Road Bridge “which is likely to remain structurally undermined”.
The update from 13 [Dnieper] in the Kherson region” were “probably not used for the purposes of significant military supplies”.
(5/6) Even if Russia manages to make significant repairs to the bridges, they will remain a key weak point. Ground supplies for the several thousand Russian troops on the west bank almost certainly depend on just two pontoon ferry crossing points.
— Department of Defense 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) August 13, 2022
Ukrainian precision strikes on Aug. 10 likely rendered the Dnieper road crossing at Nova Kakhovka unusable for heavy military vehicles, sources said.
“Even if Russia manages to significantly repair the bridges, they will remain a key weak point,” the Defense Ministry claimed.
Newsweek has reached out to the foreign ministries of Ukraine and Russia for comment.