Russia Hits 2 Ukrainian Seaports in Response to Crimea Bridge Attack

Part of a Russian Kalibr cruise missile lies inside a building damaged during a Russian attack in Odesa, Ukraine, on July 18, 2023. Press Service of the Operational Command South of the Ukrainian Armed Forces/Handout via Reuters

Russia has struck multiple targets in two Ukrainian port cities in response to an earlier attack—for which it blames Kyiv—on a bridge that links Crimea to the Russian mainland.

“Last night, the Russian Armed Forces delivered multiple retaliatory strikes by seaborne high-precision weapons against sites where terrorist attacks were being plotted,” the Russian Defense Ministry stated on July 18.

According to the ministry, the strikes hit production facilities near Odesa, which it claimed had been used to build seaborne attack drones.

It also struck several fuel depots in Odesa and the nearby city of Mykolaiv.

Commercial vessels that are part of the Black Sea grain deal wait to pass the Bosphorus Strait off the shores of Yenikapi during a misty morning in Istanbul on Oct. 31, 2022. Umit Bektas/Reuters/File Photo

“All designated targets were destroyed,” the ministry stated.

Ukraine’s southern military command said infrastructure in Odesa, along with several homes, had been damaged by the strikes.

Local authorities in Mykolaiv, which sits roughly 75 miles northeast of Odesa, said the strikes had resulted in fires.

No casualties were reported, however, in the immediate wake of the Russian barrage.

‘Millions Endangered’

Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential staff, said the strikes on the two Ukrainian seaports constitute proof that Russia “wants to endanger the lives of 400 million people ... that depend on Ukrainian food exports.”

On July 17, Russia withdrew from a year-old agreement that had allowed Ukraine to continue exporting grain through the Black Sea despite the ongoing hostilities.

According to Moscow, Kyiv and its Western allies have failed to honor key parts of the deal, which, if implemented, would allow it to export its own grain and fertilizers.

Hours before Moscow withdrew from the deal, the Kerch Bridge, which links Russia to Crimea, was rocked by a blast that left two people dead and damaged a section of roadway.

A Russian military helicopter flies over damaged parts of an automobile link of the bridge connecting the Russian mainland and the Crimean peninsula over the Kerch Strait, on July 17, 2023. AP Photo

Moscow was quick to blame Ukraine for the “terrorist attack,” which it said had been carried out with two seaborne drones.

Although Ukrainian officials celebrated the attack, Kyiv hasn’t claimed responsibility for it.

A Kremlin spokesperson said that the bridge attack and Moscow’s decision to withdraw from the grain deal were “absolutely unrelated.”

Last October, the same bridge was damaged by a massive explosion. Kyiv never claimed responsibility for that attack either, but Hanna Maliar, Ukraine’s deputy defense minister, recently hinted at her country’s involvement.

Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 after holding a controversial referendum.

UK Dismisses Russian Claims

London, meanwhile, has dismissed allegations by Moscow that British intelligence agencies may have played a role in this week’s attack on the strategic bridge.

“This is baseless speculation from Russia,” a British Foreign Ministry spokesperson told Reuters. “We will not dignify it by commenting further.”

Following the attack, Dmitry Polyansky, Moscow’s deputy envoy to the U.N., claimed that there were signs that British intelligence was involved.

“We have yet to figure out to what extent Western intelligence agencies, particularly British ones, were involved in preparing and carrying out the terrorist attack,” Mr. Polyansky said.

Russian troops boarding landing vessels after drills in Crimea on April 23, 2021. Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP

He didn’t provide evidence to support his assertions, but Moscow has made similar claims in the past.

Shortly after last year’s attack on the bridge, the Crimean port of Sevastopol, home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, was targeted by multiple air- and water-borne drones.

At the time, the Russian Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of having carried out the attack “under the guidance of British specialists.”

It further claimed that the same “British specialists” were responsible for last year’s dramatic attack on the Nord Stream pipelines, which link Russian gas fields to Northern Europe.

In response to the claims, a spokesman for UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak voiced London’s refusal to be “drawn into these sorts of distractions, which are part of the Russian playbook.”

More Drones Over Crimea

In a separate statement on July 18, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that its forces had foiled a fresh round of drone attacks on targets in Crimea.

“Last night, an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack on targets on the Crimean Peninsula was thwarted,” the ministry stated.

According to the ministry, the attack—which allegedly involved 28 aerial drones—did not result in human or material damage.

Seventeen drones were downed by Russian air defenses, the ministry said, while the remainder were neutralized by electronic countermeasures.

The Epoch Times couldn’t verify the ministry’s claims.

Reuters contributed to this report.