Putin's spokesman says attack on Odesa is revenge for Crimean Bridge
Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the Russian dictator, has stated that the night attack on Odesa was a "retaliatory strike for the Crimean [Kerch] Bridge".
Source: Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti
Quote from RIA Novosti: "Peskov gave an affirmative answer regarding whether today's night strikes were retaliatory strikes for the Crimean Bridge. ‘Yes,’ he said."
Details: Earlier on 18 July, the Russian Ministry of Defence reported that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation had carried out a "group retaliatory strike" using allegedly "high-precision" sea-launched weapons on facilities where they alleged "terrorist attacks against Russia were being prepared, using unmanned surface vehicles at the place of their manufacture at a ship repair plant in Odesa Oblast".
The occupiers also claimed to have destroyed fuel storage facilities near Mykolaiv and Odesa with a total volume of about 70,000 tonnes that were allegedly used to supply Ukrainian Armed Forces military equipment with fuel.
Background:
- As a result of the night attack by the Russians on Odesa, the wreckage of downed missiles and the blast wave from the downing damaged port infrastructure facilities, several private houses, smashed windows in cafes and a number of other buildings. One person was injured.
- On the night of 18 July 2023, Russia attacked from the southern front with 6 Kalibr cruise missiles and 36 Shahed attack drones; all missiles and 31 Iranian UAVs were destroyed by air defence.
- On the morning of 17 July, Sergey Aksenov, the so-called "head" of the Russian-occupied Crimea, said that an "emergency" occurred on the Crimean Bridge; due to this, traffic on the bridge had been stopped. Russian Telegram channels reported that a span of the bridge fell down.
- Sources of Ukrainska Pravda reported that the night attack on the Crimean bridge was a special operation of the Security Service of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Navy. It was noted that the bridge was attacked with the help of surface drones. Later, the version about two surface drones was announced by the Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency RIA Novosti with reference to the National Anti-Terrorist Committee of the Russian Federation.
- Earlier, Russian media reported that the Crimean Bridge is guarded from the sky by fighters and underwater divers and battle dolphins.
- Russian dictator Vladimir Putin promised Russia would retaliate for the attack on the Crimean Bridge
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