RUSSIAN forces last night bombed a key bridge used to transport military logistics in the Ukrainian frontline city of Kherson
Footage shows a Russian airstrike destroying the key road crossing on the Dnipro River after dropping two guided bombs.
The attack damaged a bridge connecting the city to the Korabel neighbourhood.
A few homes and a high-rise residential building were also damaged, officials said.
A defiant Vladimir Putin has snubbed peace and is instead steadily increasing his overnight bombing raids – which could soon hit 1,000 a day.
Governor Oleksandr Prokudin urged residents of the Korabel district to evacuate, citing complications with logistics and infrastructure.
He wrote on Telegram: “As a result of the enemy airstrike, logistics have been complicated.
“Because of this, it will be difficult to deliver food and other things for the time being.”
Kherson Oblast, which is just near the Russian-occupied Crimean region, is frequently targeted by the Russians.
Kyiv sought revenge by launching a massive drone attack targeting Russia’s main resort city of Sochi, where Putin is said to be rebuilding one of his palaces.
More than 120 firefighters were trying to extinguish a blaze at an oil depot that was sparked by the drone attack, regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said.
A massive fuel tank with a capacity of 2,000 cubic metres was on fire, Russia’s RIA news agency reported.
Some 30 huge explosions led to a massive inferno at the facility close to the main airport often used by the Russian dictator.
The Russian defence ministry said that its air defence units destroyed 93 Ukrainian drones overnight, including one over the Krasnodar region and 60 over the waters of the Black Sea.
Rosaviatsia, Russia’s civil aviation authority, temporarily halted flights at Sochi’s airport to ensure air safety.
Meanwhile, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was also attacked today, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said.
The UN nuclear watchdog said that its team at the power plant heard explosions and saw smoke coming from a nearby location.
But a fire after Ukrainian shelling has been brought under control, Russian authorites in the Moscow-held region said.
The plant’s administration said on Telegram that a civilian had been killed in the shelling, but that no plant employees or members of the emergency services had been injured.
“The auxiliary facility is located 1,200 metres from the ZNPP’s site perimeter and the IAEA team could still see smoke from that direction in the afternoon,” the nuclear watchdog said.
Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia plant in the first weeks of Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Both sides have accused each other of firing or taking other actions that could trigger a nuclear accident.
The station, Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant, is not operating but still requires power to keep its nuclear fuel cool.
It comes just three days after 31 people died including five children after Putin’s forces fired an Iskander missile into a residential tower block in Kyiv.
US President Donald Trump branded Putin’s tactics “disgusting” as emergency workers worked through the night to pull bodies from the ruins.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, he said: “Russia – I think it’s disgusting what they’re doing. I think it’s disgusting.”
Putin’s bloodbath comes as Russia faces Trump’s new deadline for peace on August 7.
Trump warned the Kremlin that it had just 10 or 12 days to come to the table and agree on peace.
As the death toll climbed this morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky lamented the deaths.
He said: “The youngest child was only two years old. My condolences to the families and loved ones of the deceased. 159 people were injured, 16 of them children.
“Once again, such a vile strike by Russia shows that additional pressure on Moscow and sanctions are necessary.
“No matter how much the Kremlin denies their effectiveness, they work and must be stronger – hitting everything that allows such strikes to continue.
“And it is very important that the world does not remain silent about them.
“I thank everyone who has supported our people. We appreciate that President Trump, European leaders, and our other partners clearly see what is happening and condemn Russia.”
Trump has said that the US is “totally prepared” for a nuclear war following a slew of threats against America from a Kremlin comrade.
In an extraordinary escalation, the commander-in-chief ordered that two nuclear submarines be positioned near Russia.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14898844/putin-bombs-key-kherson-bridge-ukraine/
