Russian-imposed authorities in Kherson claim multiple precision rocket strikes on the city’s bridges have had no impact on the Kremlin’s invasion logistics in southern Ukraine. Pictures taken on September 8 appear to suggest otherwise.
A Bridge Too Close: Boats Replace Cars As Ukrainian Rockets Hammer Crossings In Russian-Occupied City
This boat looks like a tourist vessel, but it is packed with residents of Kherson wanting to cross the Dnieper River on September 8.
Fruit sellers transport melons, grapes, peppers, and other produce across the Dnieper on September 8.
This photo and others taken by a photographer from the Kremlin-funded TASS news agency show the impact that strategic strikes by Ukrainian forces are having on everyday life in Kherson.
Kherson’s Antonivskiy Bridge, seen here on July 27, has been hit repeatedly by Ukrainian missile strikes in an effort to stifle Russia’s ability to transport military hardware. A Ukrainian counteroffensive in the direction of the southern port city is currently under way.
A car passes rocket damage on the Antonivskiy Bridge. A few days after this picture was taken on July 21, the crossing was hit by further Ukrainian strikes, and Russian-imposed authorities closed the crossing.
A pontoon ferry transports cars alongside the Antonivskiy Bridge on August 3, shortly after the bridge was closed.
It is believed that U.S.-supplied high-mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS) were used in the strikes on the bridge. Ukrainian forces are currently close enough to Kherson to be well within the 92-kilometer range of the weapons system.
An August 13 photo shows damage to Kherson's only other nearby road bridge, which is part of the Kakhova Hydroelectric Power Plant, around 60 kilometers east of Kherson.
Passengers wait in line at a port used to ferry people across the Dnieper River on September 8.
After repeated attempts to repair the Antonivskiy Bridge, and establish a pontoon crossing, a member of the Russian-imposed local government of Kherson said on September 6 that those efforts were being suspended "because there is no point, there is no expediency."
A boat crosses the Dnieper River in Kherson on September 8.
As winter approaches, the need for an established crossing in Kherson will be unavoidable.
A load of fresh produce arrives at a bank of the Dnieper River.
By winter, ice floes will make the river crossing dangerous, if not impossible, for most boats. But if Kherson remains within range of Ukrainian HIMARS, any further Russian attempts to establish a crossing are likely to be targeted once more.