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Look: Watch Ukraine Strike Key Russian Supply Bridge On Independence Day

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U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 65th Field Artillery Brigade fire a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) during a joint live-fire exercise with the Kuwait Land Forces, Jan. 8, 2019, near Camp Buehring, Kuwait. The U.S. and Kuwaiti forces train together frequently to maintain a high level of combat readiness and to maintain effective communication between the two forces. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Bill Boecker)
U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 65th Field Artillery Brigade fire a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) during a joint live-fire exercise with the Kuwait Land Forces, Jan. 8, 2019, near Camp Buehring, Kuwait. The U.S. and Kuwaiti forces train together frequently to maintain a high level of combat readiness and to maintain effective communication between the two forces. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Bill Boecker)

Video footage shared on Telegram on Friday revealed the destruction caused by Ukrainian air strikes on a critical Russian supply bridge. The strikes occurred on Thursday, Ukraine’s 31st Independence Day, marking the country’s independence from the Soviet Union.

One video showed the strike from afar, with one end of the bridge hit by multiple rockets. Additional videos show the same scene but from different angles.

One clip, which appeared to be filmed at a beach, showed vacationers watching the destruction from afar.

Two Bridges Destroyed On Independence Day

Ukrainian forces successfully caused damage to two bridges on Wednesday – the Kakhovka Bridge and the Antonovsky Bridge. Both bridges were apparently used by Russian forces as supply lines, helping transport military equipment and supplies in the region as Russia prepares to escalate its military offensive in southeastern Ukraine.

In a post on Facebook, Ukraine’s Operational Command South described how four strikes were used to take out enemy weapons, manpower, and equipment in the Beryslav district. According to the command, the bridges were hit by Ukrainian missile and artillery units.

Kirill Stremousov, the deputy leader of the pro-Russia Kherson Military-Civilian Administration acknowledged the two strikes, and told state-run media that Ukrainian troops used U.S.-supplied HIMARS rocket systems to launch the attack.

“There was an attempt to shell, a couple of holes were added, but the bridge was intact, the air defense worked. HIMARS again,” Stremousov said.

An Additional Bridge was Destroyed On Friday

On Friday, Ukraine’s Operational Command South announced that an additional Russian supply bridge in Kherson was taken out of action by further strikes.

“Rocket artillery units continued to conduct missions, including ensuring control over the Daryivskiy bridge. Its operation is currently halted,” a statement explained.

The 100-meter-long bridge is the only Russian-controlled bridge across the Inhulets River, which is a tributary of the Dnipro River. Ukraine’s successful strike on the bridge will cause significant disruption to Russian forces in the area.

HIMARS

HIMARS Test by 32d Army Air and Missile Defense Command.

Marines Destroy Enemy Vehicles In Kherson

A Telegram post from the press service of the Ukrainian Navy also revealed this week how units of the Ukrainian Navy successfully destroyed an enemy vehicle with fuel, as well as three Russian infantry fighting vehicles.

The successful strikes also occurred in the Kherson region, where Ukraine appears to be amplifying its efforts to push back  Russian soldiers.

“On August 24, in the Kherson direction, Ukrainian marines destroyed a vehicle with fuel and three IFVs,” the post reads, adding that artillery units also launched strikes on other Russian positions, taking out eight Russian soldiers.

Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.

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Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive's Breaking News Editor. He is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.

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