Russia today said it destroyed 12 US-made ATACMS missiles fired by Ukraine in another attempt by Kiev to destroy the bridge that connects Russia to Crimea, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
Moscow illegally annexed the Black Sea peninsula 10 years ago, the agency notes. Ukraine has repeatedly said it wants to destroy the bridge as soon as it has the military capability to do so, as it says it was built illegally.
The bridge is considered one of the best-protected buildings in Russia after being damaged in previous attacks, DPA said.
The Russian Defense Ministry also reported several repulsed Ukrainian attacks on Crimea by aerial and naval drones and added that no damage was caused. At the moment, there is no information from the Ukrainian side about attacks against the peninsula, DPA notes.
Meanwhile, a series of Ukrainian strikes today wounded at least seven people and set fire to a shopping mall in the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, Reuters reported, citing the Russian-appointed top local government official. power.
From 12:00 noon today, the enemy is carrying out targeted mass strikes against the Petrovsky district of the regional capital," wrote Russian-appointed local governor Denis Pushilin.
"According to preliminary information, seven civilians, including a teenager, were injured. I continue to receive information about the wounded," he also wrote.
Pushilin did not mention any deaths. State news agency TASS earlier quoted local authorities as saying at least two people were killed in the shelling of a shopping mall, but this information has not yet been confirmed.
Pushilin said that as a result of the attack, the shopping center "Galaxy" was engulfed in a fire that spread over an area of more than 10,000 square meters and that authorities were still working to extinguish the fire. He added that part of a local hospital was also damaged.
RIA Novosti agency published footage showing huge clouds of smoke rising from a building believed to be the shopping centre.