{"id":73282,"date":"2022-10-09T14:12:24","date_gmt":"2022-10-09T14:12:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/10\/09\/strikes-kill-at-least-17-in-ukraine-following-crimea-bridge-blast\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T14:34:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T14:34:22","slug":"strikes-kill-at-least-17-in-ukraine-following-crimea-bridge-blast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2022\/10\/09\/strikes-kill-at-least-17-in-ukraine-following-crimea-bridge-blast\/","title":{"rendered":"Strikes kill at least 12 in Ukraine following Crimea bridge blast"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Editor\u2019s note: This story has been updated with additional information from The Associated Press.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine \u2014 The couple cowered under a blanket in the early hours of Sunday when they heard missiles headed again for their city, which has suffered repeated barrages as Russian and Ukrainian forces battle for control of territory<\/a> Moscow has illegally annexed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere was one explosion, then another one,\u201d Mucola Markovich said. Then, in a flash, the fourth-floor apartment he shared with his wife was gone, the 76-year-old said, holding back tears as he described the overnight strikes on Zaporizhzhia that brought down a section of an apartment building and left at least a dozen people dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen it will be rebuilt, I don\u2019t know,\u201d he said. \u201cI am left without an apartment at the end of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The strikes come as Russia has suffered a series of setbacks nearly eight months after invading Ukraine in a campaign many thought would be short-lived. In recent weeks, Ukrainian forces have staged a counteroffensive, retaking areas in the south and east, while Moscow\u2019s decision to call up more troops led to protests and an exodus<\/a> of tens of thousands of Russians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latest setback was an explosion Saturday that caused the partial collapse of a bridge linking Russia with the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed eight years ago. The attack on the Kerch Bridge damaged an important supply route for the Kremlin\u2019s faltering war effort and a towering symbol of Russia\u2019s power in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Flame
Flame and smoke rise from Crimean Bridge connecting Russian mainland and Crimean peninsula over the Kerch Strait, in Kerch, Crimea, Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022. Russian authorities say a truck bomb has caused a fire and the partial collapse of a bridge linking Russia-annexed Crimea with Russia. Three people have been killed. The bridge is a key supply artery for Moscow’s faltering war effort in southern Ukraine. (AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Recent fighting has focused on the regions just north of Crimea, including Zaporizhzhia, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lamented the latest attack in a Telegram post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAgain, Zaporizhzhia. Again, merciless attacks on civilians, targeting residential buildings, in the middle of the night,\u201d he wrote. At least 19 people died<\/a> in Russian missile strikes on apartment buildings in the city on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom the one who gave this order, to everyone who carried out this order: They will answer,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\t