wo missiles have been fired at a bridge linking Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula, the Kremlin has claimed.

Pictures on social media present plumes of smoke rising close to the Kerch bridge with Russia’s defence ministry claiming a pair of S-200 missiles have been shot down inflicting no injury.

Ukraine has not commented on the alleged assault.

Crimea’s Moscow-appointed governor, Sergei Aksyonov, reported that Russian air defence had shot down two Ukrainian missiles.

“The Ukrainian missile was detected in a timely manner and was intercepted in the air by Russian air defence systems. No damage or casualties were reported,” the ministry stated in an announcement.

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“There can be no justification for such barbaric actions and they will not go unanswered,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram.

Separately, Russian forces destroyed 20 Ukrainian drones launched onto the Crimean Peninsula earlier on Saturday, Russia’s Defence Ministry stated.

There have been a minimum of two different assaults concentrating on the bridge previously few months.

The Kerch bridge was opened in 2018 and allows street and rail journey between Russia and Crimea - Ukrainian territory annexed by Russia in 2014.

It is a key resupply route for Russian forces occupying elements of southern Ukraine.

The S-200s are Cold War-era surface-to-air weapons initially designed to destroy enemy plane which have been tailored for ground-attack use.

The 12-mile Kerch Bridge carries heavy significance for Valdimir Putin, each logistically and psychologically, as a key artery for army and civilian provides.

Last week, a Ukrainian sea drone hit a Russian tanker near the bridge, whereas an assault on the bridge final month killed a pair and significantly wounded their daughter, leaving a bit of the street broken.

In October 2022 the bridge was badly damaged after Russia said a truck packed with explosives exploded while crossing.