Russia claims to have thwarted attacks on the Crimean Bridge, which was briefly closed for the third time

Kyiv, Ukraine — Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Saturday morning that its forces had destroyed three Ukrainian naval drones used in an attempt to attack a key bridge linking Russia with Crimea annexed by Moscow, forcing its temporary closure for the third time in less than a month. a year.

A naval drone was destroyed Friday evening and two others early Saturday morning, according to the Russian Defense 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 been the target of repeated attacks since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

In October, an explosion caused, according to the Russian authorities, by a truck bomb, killed three people. Another attack on the bridge in July, killing a couple and seriously injuring their daughter, left part of the roadway dangerously suspended.

The Crimea-Russia bridge is of great significance to Moscow, both logistically and psychologically, as a key artery for military and civilian supplies and as an assertion of Kremlin control over the annexed peninsula in 2014.

Two Ukrainian drones were also intercepted in the Russian region of Belgorod, which borders Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

A woman was injured on Saturday in the bombardment of a village in the Kursk region, which also borders Ukraine, regional governor Roman Starovoit said. He blamed the bombings on Ukraine.

Ukrainian authorities, who usually avoid commenting on attacks on Russian soil, did not say whether they had launched the attacks. Drone strikes and bombings on Russian border regions are commonplace.

Ukraine’s military said in a regular statement on Saturday that in the previous 24 hours, Russia had launched four missile strikes and 39 airstrikes, in addition to 42 attacks using multiple rocket launchers.

British military officials said on Saturday that Russia risked splitting its forces to try to prevent a Ukrainian breakthrough in southern Ukraine. According to British intelligence, Ukrainian forces continued to carry out offensive actions on the axis of Orikhiv in southern Ukraine, with their units reaching the first main Russian defensive line.

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Friday that troops from Kyiv were advancing in the Zaporizhzhia region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will host Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan for talks next week, the Kremlin announced on Friday, just over six weeks after Moscow broke a deal brokered by Ankara and the UN that allowed Ukrainian grain to reach global markets safely despite 18-months of war.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin and Erdogan would meet in Sochi, Russia’s Black Sea resort, on Monday.