Ukraine has managed to damage an important Russian supply route using British-made drones in a major operation in the South of the country. The strike targeted a bridge in the occupied Kherson region that had been used by Russian forces to move equipment and supplies.

It had been hit earlier in the war, but was still usable until the drone attacks. Ukrainian forces carried out repeated attacks over a two-month campaign to finally bring it down. The operation is believed to have taken place in March last year, but was not previously reported.

It is thought to be the first time a drone-led mission has been used to destroy a bridge. British-made Malloy T-150 drones were used during the attacks.

The crossing over the Konka River, near the occupied town of Oleshky, was targeted multiple times during the campaign.

Eventually, two sections of the bridge were destroyed and collapsed into the river. Large clouds of smoke were seen as the structure gave way, The Telegraph reports.

The damage has made it harder for Russian forces to carry out attacks towards the city of Kherson, which lies on the right bank of the Dnipro River.

The Konka River is a tributary of the Dnipro and has acted as a dividing line between Ukrainian and Russian-controlled areas in the region.

The Malloy T-150 drones are made by Malloy Aeronautics, which is part of British defence company BAE Systems.

They were not originally designed for combat and were instead created for use as a type of flying vehicle to herd cattle. However, they have since been adapted for military use.

The bridge had been seen as a difficult target because of how it was built. Structures like this are designed to withstand heavy loads and are often hard to destroy from above.

Despite this, repeated strikes eventually caused enough damage to bring parts of it down.

The UK is also working on developing longer-range weapons that could be used in the conflict.

At the same time, Russia has been carrying out its own military exercises. Images released by its defence ministry showed intercontinental ballistic missile systems being moved through forested areas in Siberia.

Crews were seen practising different scenarios, including how to respond to attacks, although no launches were reported.