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By Isabel van Brugen
News Reporter
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Ukraine's military has released images said to show the aftermath of a Ukrainian strike using U.S.-supplied Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, in annexed Crimea.
The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces published the photos on its Facebook page, saying Kyiv's forces struck Russia's Kerch ferry crossing on May 30. The ferry crossing "was actively used by the enemy to support their grouping of troops in the temporarily occupied Crimea," it said.
Attacks on Crimea have ramped up throughout Russian President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including on the Kerch Strait Bridge.
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The structure has served as a supply route for Russia's forces throughout the war, and it is Russia's sole land link with Crimea. Ukraine struck the 19-kilometer (almost 12-mile) road and rail bridge in October 2022 and again in July 2023.
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Kyiv has vowed future strikes on the structure as it seeks to recapture the peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014.
"Ukraine's Defense Forces struck the Kerch ferry crossing with ATACMS missiles last night," the Ukrainian General Staff said. It added that two ferries were damaged in the attack.
"It is worth noting that this facility was protected with 'advanced' Russian air defense systems—Pantsir, Tor and Triumph. However, the missiles, which have been in service since the '90s of the last century, successfully penetrated the 'newest' air defense shield of the invaders," it continued.
"Thanks to the successful combat work of Ukrainian missile launchers, the occupiers' military logistics on the peninsula have been significantly undermined," the statement said.
The black-and-white aerial images show scorch marks, indicating where the ferry crossing was struck. No casualties were reported in the attack. Newsweek has contacted Russia's Foreign Ministry for comment by email.
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Fears have been growing among Russian military bloggers that Ukrainian forces are preparing to attack the Kerch Strait Bridge.
The Rybar Telegram channel, which has links to Russia's Defense Ministry, said in April that Kyiv may have used U.S.-made ADM-160 Miniature Air-Launched Decoy missiles to detect air defense systems and radars in preparation for another attack on the Black Sea peninsula.
The missiles, which are designed to distract and confuse enemy air defenses, can mimic various aircraft on radar screens.
Rybar suggested at the time that an attack on the Kerch Bridge could have taken place before Putin's inauguration on May 7, "considering the love of the Ukrainian authorities and their curators for symbolism."
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