7/20/22
By WarNews 24/7
Translated from Greek

The Armed Forces of Ukraine hit the Kherson bridge for the second day in a row and bombed a Russian weapons and ammunition depot with MLRS HIMARS. The Russians are talking about a strike with a range of 130 km, confirming what WarNews247 wrote yesterday:

Ukrainians acquired ER GMLRS missiles for HIMARS systems.

Zelensky brings "Judgment Day": Kherson bridge bombed with GMLRS M31A1 - Rehearsal attack in Crimea - Retaliation from Russia

The situation is starting to become particularly serious in the direction of Kherson. In the last 24 hours, artillery and MLRS crews of the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked the Antonovsky bridge, and the Berislav, Lyubimovka, Snigirevka, Novovoznesensky, Olgino and Zolotoy Balka areas.

A while ago, the Ukrainians hit a Russian ammunition and weapons depot in Melitopol with MLRS HIMARS, while drones hit the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, as the press service of the city administration revealed to the Russian RIA Novosti network.

Second strike on the Kherson bridge

The only bridge allowing passage from the Dnieper to Kherson was severely damaged as a result of a new Ukrainian missile attack.

On Wednesday morning, the Ukrainian army launched a missile attack on the only Dnieper road bridge in Kherson, causing it to suffer serious damage, said Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the interim administration of the Kherson region.

As a result of the impacts, the bridge was destroyed and at the moment it is not possible to operate it. This was stated by the deputy head of the military-civil administration of Kherson region, Kirill Stremousov.

This morning, 12 missiles were fired at the Antonovsky Bridge, 11 of which accurately hit the bridge structure, severely damaging the bridge. At the moment, there is a very serious risk of the bridge collapsing, which in turn creates additional risks.

Ukrainian troops may immediately launch a counterattack, although such a possibility is quite small.

“The bridge is really damaged. If the blows continue, it may collapse, " Stremusov said.

According to Stremousov, the strike was caused by US HIMARS systems. Some of the missiles were intercepted by the Russian air defense system.

The Antonovsky Bridge is located along the Dnieper and connects Kherson with the left bank, specifically with the town of Alyoshki. Its length is about 1.4 km, its width is 25 m.

The Ukrainians are preparing a counterattack
According to Russian experts, this indicates the intentions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to launch a counterattack on this most important city in order to regain its control and gain access to the corridor connecting Crimea with the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics.

The Ukrainians intend, if not to destroy the bridge completely, then at least to render it unsuitable for the operational transfer of forces to Kherson.

According to the first speaker of the parliament of “Novorossia”, former member of the Verkhovna Rada Oleg Tsarev, Ukraine is striking the bridge as part of the announced counter-offensive in the south:

"The bridge is important, the Ukrainian troops. If the bridge collapses, then the entire right wing, including the Peninsula, will be cut off.

"Before the completion of the operation in Donetsk and the capture of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, there will hardly be any serious advances towards Nikolaev ," adds Tsarev.

Deputy General of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, retired Leonid Reshetnikov, said:

"The direction of Kherson is very important for Ukraine. He wants to prevent a further attack on Odessa. Therefore, Ukraine is massing large forces here to try not only to prevent our advance, but also to organize a counterattack.

Without the release of Nikolaev, it will be very difficult for us to hold Kherson. These cities are about a hundred kilometers from each other, the contact line extending about half that distance. Otherwise, Kherson will be under constant threat of bombing.

The head of the administration of the Kherson region, Volodymyr Saldo, emphasized that in the event of the collapse of the Antonovsky bridge, it will be possible to go to the left bank of the Dnieper only through the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric station or through the construction of a new crossing.
It is worth noting that the hydroelectric station itself has been under fire from the Armed Forces of Ukraine for several days, the Ukrainian administration clearly wants to cut off the left bank. In this case, the Russian units located in this direction will face some difficulties with their supply.

The Russians respond with heavy bombardment of Nikolaev
The Russians counterattacked immediately, but their inability to locate the HIMARS in time complicated the situation.

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation hit Ukrainian positions in Nikolaev, Liman, Bereznegovat, Bastanka, Ternovka, Yavkino, Vysunsk, Kaluga and Belaya Krynitsa.

Additional reinforcements with TOS-1 and MLRS BM-21 GRAD and BM-27 Uragan were transferred to the Kherson region

Earlier, the deputy head of the Donetsk People's Militia, Eduard Basurin, reported that HIMARS missiles with a range of about 300 km had arrived in Ukraine. However, this information has not yet been confirmed.

The Wagner-affiliated channel RSOTM has published information about the problem the HIMARS systems are creating.

The Russian sources said it was successfully hitting "very important" targets, confirming that there is a matter…

Watch videos of the attacks at source

The US is sending four additional HIMARS to Ukraine
The United States will send four additional High Mobility Artillery Missile Systems (HIMARS) to Ukraine, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday 7/20, as part of the latest military package to bolster Kiev.

"(We will) continue to find innovative ways to maintain our long-term support for the brave men and women of the Ukrainian armed forces and tailor our assistance to ensure that Ukraine has the technology, ammunition and firepower to to defend itself ," Austin said at the start of a conference call with allies on Ukraine.

The latest package brings the total number of HIMARS delivered by the United States to Ukraine to 16.

Numerous videos at source:
https://warnews247.gr/oi-oukranoi-etoimazoun-antepithesi-anatinaxan-rosiki-vasi-kai-vomvardisan-ti-gefyra-sti-chersona-lionoun-to-nikolaef-oi-rosoi/