Ukraine strikes Antonivskyi Bridge essential for Russian supply lines in occupied south

Ukrainian troops have struck a strategic bridge essential for Moscow to supply its forces occupying the country's south, as Russia pounded several areas in Ukraine with rocket and artillery strikes. 

The Ukrainian military struck the Antonivskyi Bridge across the Dnieper River late Tuesday, the deputy head of the Moscow-appointed administration for the Kherson region, Kirill Stremousov, said. He said the bridge was still standing, but its deck was pierced with holes, stopping vehicles from crossing. An official from the Russian-installed regional administration said that, due to the shelling, the bridge had been closed to pedestrians as well, but that it still maintained its structural integrity, the Reuters news agency reported. 

The nine-tenths-of-a-mile bridge sustained serious damage in Ukrainian shelling last week, when it took multiple hits. It was closed for trucks but had remained open for passenger vehicles until the strike late Tuesday. Ukrainian forces used the U.S.-supplied HIMARS multiple rocket launchers to hit the bridge, Stremousov said. The bridge is the main crossing over the Dnieper River in the Kherson region. The only other option is a dam at the hydroelectric plant in Kakhovka, which also came under Ukrainian fire last week but has remained open for traffic.