Odessa Missile Attacks Respond to Crimean Bridge Assault, Peskov Says

Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary for the President of Russia, has confirmed that the missile attacks on Odessa's port infrastructure conducted on the night of July 18 were retaliatory strikes in response to the assault on the Crimean Bridge the day before.

In response to a question from the RIA Novosti agency regarding whether the nighttime attacks were retaliatory strikes, Peskov answered in the affirmative. It was previously reported that the Russian Armed Forces attacked facilities in the Odessa region as part of an operation dubbed "Retribution."

"This night, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation launched precision-guided munitions in a coordinated counterstrike against the facilities where terrorist activities were being prepared against the Russian Federation using speedboats, as well as an attack on the shipbuilding plant near the city of Odessa where these vessels are produced," said the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin had promised a "response" to the attack on the Crimean Bridge, stating that corresponding proposals were being prepared by the Ministry of Defense. Meanwhile, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov simply remarked that proposals to respond to the drone attack on the Crimean Bridge were still under development.

On the night of July 17, two drones attacked the Crimean Bridge, resulting in a section of the bridge being destroyed and two fatalities, according to the Russian National Anti-Terrorist Committee.