The re-opening of a key artery in Kherson Region was delayed after renewed attacks by Kiev's forces.
Russian forces are constructing a pontoon bridge across the Dnepr River in Kherson Region in southern Ukraine amid renewed shelling from Kiev's forces, Kirill Stremousov, the deputy head of the local administration, told TASS on Monday.
The crossing will be used as a backup for the damaged Antonovsky bridge, which is a strategically important site. The pontoon crossing will consist of barges that will not sink even if struck by a Ukrainian shell, Stremousov explained.
He noted that this will be a single pontoon that people will be able to drive through.
The re-opening of the Antonovsky bridge was supposed to take place on Wednesday, but it was delayed after Ukrainian forces renewed their attempts to destroy it on Sunday night. The attack hit equipment brought to the site to repair damage from previous artillery strikes, such as a concrete mixer and a temporary shack, and has created new gaps in the bridge's structure, Stremousov said.
The official claims that the bridge hasn't suffered any critical damage and has described the incident as nothing terrible. He stated that the planned reopening of the bridge is only slightly delayed.
The Ukrainian media reported that the attack was carried out with US-supplied HIMARS multiple-launch rocket systems.
The Antonovsky bridge is a strategic link between the Russian-controlled city of Kherson and the rest of southern Ukraine. The bridge has been closed since Kiev's forces attempted to destroy the crossing several weeks ago.