The Chonhar Bridge, which connects Crimea with the mainland region of Kherson, had been damaged but not beyond repair, Kherson chief Vladimir Saldo wrote on Telegram on Thursday morning.

No one was injured, he added, while Saldo also published photos showing craters in the road surface.

He claimed that the Ukrainians, who were currently undertaking a counteroffensive to take back territories from Russia, used Storm Shadow cruise missiles in the attack on the bridge.

However, his statements could not be independently verified and there was no official statement from Kiev.

The Chonhar Bridge was one of three access routes from Crimea to the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, which was partly taken over by the Russians.

According to observers, it is an important supply route for Russian troops at the front.

The Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014, is also connected to the Russian mainland via the Kerch Bridge, which was also damaged in an attack last autumn.

Russia and Ukraine have been waging full-scale war for 16 months, with the Ukrainian army receiving weapons from Western countries.