Russia says it thwarted attacks on Crimea bridge, which was briefly closed for a third time
Ukrainian naval drones being used in an attempt to attack a key bridge linking Russia to Moscow-annexed Crimea, forcing its temporary closure for the third time in less than a year. One naval drone was destroyed late Friday and two others early Saturday morning, according to Russia's Defence Ministry.
There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials.
A key supply route for Kremlin forces in the war with Ukraine, the Kerch bridge has come under repeated attack since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
An explosion in October, which Russian authorities said was caused by a truck bomb, left three people dead. A further attack on the bridge in July, killing a couple and seriously wounding their daughter, left a span of the roadway hanging perilously.
The bridge connecting Crimea and Russia carries heavy significance for Moscow, both logistically and psychologically, as a key artery for military and civilian supplies and as an assertion of Kremlin control of the peninsula it annexed in 2014.
Two Ukrainian drones were also intercepted in Russia's Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defence reported.
A woman was wounded Saturday during the shelling of a village in the Kursk region, also bordering Ukraine, regional governor Roman Starovoit said.
He blamed Ukraine for the shelling.
Ukrainian authorities, which generally avoid commenting on attacks on Russian soil, didn't say whether they launched the attacks. Drone strikes and shelling on the Russian border regions are a regular occurrence.
The Ukrainian military said in a regular update on Saturday that over the previous 24 hours, Russia had launched four missile strikes and 39 airstrikes, in addition to 42 attacks from multiple rocket
