The strategic Antoniv bridge across the Dnipro has collapsed, according to Reuters and several Ukrainian and Russian news sites.

Antonivsky bridge collapsedPhoto: Twitter – OSINTTechnical

Reuters notes that Ukrainian public television released a photo showing how entire sections of the bridge have disappeared, and it is not yet 100 percent clear what caused its destruction.

Russia’s largest financial daily Kommersant quotes military correspondent Andrii Rudenko, who posted several photos on his Telegram channel showing the damage to the bridge.

But the head of the government in the Kherson region denied the information about the explosion, saying that the bridge “is in the same condition.” However, the images contradict him.

Also, a video from the Antonivsky Bridge was published by Oleksandr Kots, a military correspondent of “Komsomolska Pravda”.

“Probably, it was blown up during the retreat of the Russian group from the right bank to the left. It seems that the enemy from the other side has not yet approached this bridge,” says Kots.

A pontoon bridge built by Russian troops nearby was also destroyed.

Most likely, the Antoniv bridge was blown up by the retreating Russians

It is likely that the two bridges were blown up by Russian sappers as part of the withdrawal to the eastern bank of the Dnieper, which the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation gave on Wednesday. It also explains why Kots reports so confidently from the bridge.

Much of the northern part of the Antoniv Bridge is now underwater, and the presence of Russian troops around the bridge now appears to be minimal. The destruction of such a large section of the bridge, in turn, indicates that it was a deliberate action with the use of explosive charges.

Also, earlier on Friday, a video shared on Russian Telegram channels showed that the railway bridge across the Dnipro was also blown up by Russian engineers.

Also, on Telegram channels, the most popular Russian messaging service, a large number of messages appeared that Russia’s withdrawal would turn into panic and chaos.

It is currently unclear how many Russian troops are still on the west bank of the Dnieper, and Moscow’s defense ministry said only early Friday that the withdrawal was proceeding as planned.

UPDATE 12:18 p.m The Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday afternoon that the withdrawal was complete and that no soldiers or military equipment remained on the west bank of the Dnieper.

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