Ukraine officials said their country's armed forces had fired down Russian drones and cruise missiles heading towards the Black Sea port of Odesa on Tuesday, July 18. Russia said this was "retribution" for an assault that had destroyed a vital bridge leading to the Crimean Peninsula.
Russia's Revenge
According to the Ukrainian military's Southern Command, Russia initially attempted to wear out Ukraine's air defenses by launching 25 exploding drones. Russia then attacked Odesa with six Kalibr cruise missiles.
In a report by ABC News, officials in the Odesa region and elsewhere in the south said air defenses had shot down all six missiles and the drones. However, debris and shock waves from the attacks damaged port infrastructure and a few residential structures. This also wounded an old man in his house.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said that their "strike of retribution" on Ukrainian forces between Odesa and Mykolaiv, a seaside city approximately 50 kilometers (30 miles) to the northeast, was carried out using sea-launched precision weaponry.
The shipyard where drones were being manufactured and other facilities used in the preparation of "terror attacks" against Russia were destroyed. Furthermore, it hit Ukrainian fuel stockpiles outside of the two cities.
The contradictory assertions made by both governments could not be confirmed.
Ukraine Claims Responsibility
When a bomb rendered a piece of the Kerch Bridge inoperable, Vladimir Putin instructed his top security experts to develop a strategy to protect the bridge on Monday, July 17. The said bridge links seized Crimea to the Russian mainland.
The Russian president called the incident a "terrorist act" and promised appropriate retaliation against Kyiv.
After confirming that the attack was carried out by the Ukrainians, it was deemed the second successful assault on the distinctive structure Putin inaugurated after ordering the illegal invasion of Crimea.
There were reportedly two deaths and one injury caused by the explosion of two maritime drones fired by Ukrainian troops, according to Russian-installed authorities on the peninsula.
Military intelligence spokesperson Andrii Yusov said that Ukraine would not comment on any of the operations in order to maintain operational secrecy about airstrikes on Russian targets well beyond enemy lines.
The 12-mile bridge seemed to be severely damaged on both sides, as shown on social media videos. Moscow's control over Crimea was symbolically represented by the completion of the longest bridge crossing in Europe.
After then, it became an important supply line for Russian soldiers in southern Ukraine. The most severe damage was apparently done to a section of the road that connected to the Russian mainland and sunk into the water.