A pro-Russian official in southern Ukraine says a major bridge between the Kherson region and Crimea has been damaged by a Ukrainian missile attack.

Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-appointed leader of Kherson, said in a social media post on Thursday that Ukrainian forces likely used Storm Shadow cruise missiles supplied by Britain to attack the Chonhar road bridge.

The bridge connects Russian-controlled parts of Kherson and Crimea, which Russia unilaterally annexed in 2014.

Saldo said that the damage has forced traffic to be diverted to other routes.

On Wednesday, Russia's President Vladimir Putin described Ukraine's counteroffensives as being in a lull.
He said that Russian forces destroyed 245 tanks and 678 armored vehicles of Ukrainian troops.

He added that Ukraine's potential for an offensive has not yet been exhausted, but the country has no chance.

The US think tank Institute for the Study of War issued an assessment on Wednesday that Russia's defensive positions throughout southern Ukraine are likely hampering Ukrainian advances.

The institute stated, "Ukrainian forces may be conducting several offensive operations across the entire theater in order to gradually attrite Russian forces and set conditions for a future main effort."

Ukraine apparently aims to retake Crimea by disrupting supply routes to the peninsula, while Russia remains on high alert for Ukrainian counteroffensives around Crimea.