Russia attacks Sumy, Ukraine targets Crimean bridge | News

At least 3 people were killed and 25 others injured in a Russian missile attack targeting the northeastern city of Sumy Ukrainewhile the Kerch Bridge, which connects Russia with Crimea to a Ukrainian attack, the third of its kind since 2022.

A day after direct peace talks between the two countries in Istanbul failed to make any progress toward ending their ongoing war, a Russian missile attack targeted the Ukrainian city of Sumy on Tuesday.

The barrage of Russian missiles hit residential buildings and a medical facility in the center of Sumy, killing at least three people and injuring 25 others, local authorities said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the attack, saying it confirms that Moscow “It has no intention of stopping the three-year war.”

Crimean bridge

Meanwhile, Ukrainian intelligence services announced that they had launched a new attack inside Russia, two days after a spectacular Ukrainiandrones on air bases deep inside the country.

The Ukrainian Security Service said it destroyed the foundations of the “Kerch Bridge” that connects Russia toCrimea annexed by Russia, which is a major artery for Russian military supplies in the war.

The agency added in a statement that it used 1,100 kilograms of material that was detonated underwater on Tuesday morning, damaging the pillars of the bridge, which was a key supply route for Russian forces in Ukraine.

Ukraine’s internal security service said Crimean bridge twice in 2022 and 2023. Today we resumed this underwater tradition,” he said, explaining that the operation had been in the works for months.

“The bridge is now in a real state of emergency,” he added, but emphasized that no civilians were killed or injured in the operation. The agency released footage showing an explosion next to one of the bridge’s many columns.

Reuters said it confirmed the location of the attack by identifying the bridge’s structure and load-bearing elements and that the images matched satellite imagery of the area, but the agency could not independently verify the timing of the footage.

Russian authorities announced via Telegram on Tuesday that traffic on the bridge has been temporarily suspended.

An official Russian media outlet, which provides regular updates on the situation on the bridge, said it was suspended for about three hours between 4 and 7 a.m. local time.

The Russian media outlet gave no reason for the temporary closure, but said the bridge had reopened and was operating normally. Russian military bloggers said the attack was unsuccessful and speculated that it was carried out using a Ukrainian naval drone.

War of attrition

The war resulted in the deaths of more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, according to the United Nations, as well as tens of thousands of soldiers from both sides along the nearly 1,000-kilometer front line.

The war of attrition between the two sides continues despite efforts led by United States to broker a peace agreement.

Although Russia With a larger army and greater economic resources than Ukraine, the recent Ukrainian offensive damaged more than 40 warplanes at air bases deep inside Russia, according to Ukrainian officials, a blow to the Kremlin’s strategic arsenal and military prestige.

The New York Times quoted U.S. and European security officials as saying that as many as 20 Russian strategic aircraft may have been destroyed or severely damaged as a result of the recent Ukrainian attacks.

The Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged that the Ukrainian attack set fire to several aircraft at two air bases, but said the military repelled attempted attacks on three other air bases.

Both Zelensky and Putin are keen to show the U.S. president Donald Trump that he shares his ambition to end the fighting and avoid potential punitive measures from Washington.

And Ukraine accepted ceasefire proposed by the United States, but which the Kremlin has effectively rejected. Putin made it clear that any peace settlement must be on his terms.

Delegations from the two warring sides agreed on Monday to exchange dead and wounded soldiers, but their terms for ending the war remained divergent.

Inevitability of retaliation

pointed out Dmitry Medvedev Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council has signaled that the Russian offensive will not subside. Istanbul not to reach a consensual peace on the imaginary terms of others, but to ensure our quick victory and the complete destruction of the Ukrainian government.”

In an apparent comment on the recent Ukrainian strikes, Medvedev emphasized that “retaliation is inevitable.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to suggestions that a face-to-face meeting between Putin, Trump and Zelensky might break the deadlock, saying that such a possibility is “unlikely in the near future.”

Meanwhile, a high-level Ukrainian delegation led by First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yulia Sviridenko traveled to Washington for talks on defense, sanctions and post-war recovery.

Head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office Andriy Yermak said the delegation will meet with representatives of the two main political parties in the United States (Republican and Democratic), as well as Trump’s advisors.