WASHINGTON, June 22. /TASS/. Commenting on Ukraine’s recent missile attack on the Chongar Bridge, connecting Crimea and the Kherson Region, a Pentagon spokesman said on Thursday that the Kiev government’s troops were free to choose the targets they wanted to strike.
When asked by a reporter whether the West helped Ukraine to plan its recent strikes, including the attack on the Chongar Bridge, Pentagon Press Secretary Patrick Ryder said: "This is Ukraine’s fight. They are planning and executing that fight."
"Our focus is on working with them and our allies and our partners to ensure that they have the combat capabilities they need to defend their country and take back some territories," the spokesman added.
Early on June 22, Ukraine fired Storm Shadow missiles to bridges on the administrative border between the Kherson Region and Crimea. Vehicles willing to enter Crimea are told to use the two alternative routes, via Armyansk and Perekop.
Commenting on the attack, Andrey Yusov, a spokesman for the Ukrainian intelligence service, said Ukraine’s military and security services would continue working in this area. At the same time, he did not explicitly acknowledge Kiev’s responsibility for the strike.