2024-04-10 07:33:17
The Ukrainians will probably try to blow up the Crimean bridge again before the end of June. According to the British website The Guardian, the war-torn country’s intelligence has indicated that it considers the destruction of the symbol of Russian occupation inevitable. The twelve-kilometer-long structure that connects Crimea with Russia has already been the target of two major attacks linked to Kyiv in the past.
Last November, Ukrainian intelligence already sent a provocative message through social networks | Video: Youtube/HUR, Reuters
As an important supply route and a symbol of Russian annexation, the link between Russia and the Crimean peninsula has become one of the frequent targets of the Ukrainian army. The soldiers should intervene this year as well. The Guardian’s reporters on Wednesday revealed plans for the next offensive operation that the army of the occupied country is to launch in the first half of the year. “Kyiv already has most of the means to realize this goal,” a source from among high-ranking members of Ukrainian intelligence, whose identity the editors did not disclose for security reasons, told the website.
For Putin, the bridge is a tangible reminder of what he considers one of his greatest political achievements, the alleged “return” of the peninsula to Russia in 2014 with the help of secret Russian troops and a staged referendum.
The Ukrainians attacked the bridge for the first time in October 2022. According to Russia, the explosion, which caused several pieces of roadway to fall into the water, was caused by a bomb. Here, the Ukrainians managed to sneak into the center of the building in a truck. Last July, a drone attack damaged the road section of the bridge parallel to the railway section, which is used by the Russian army to transport supplies.
The head of Ukrainian intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, has already promised in the past that Ukraine will strike at Russian positions in Crimea and the Kerch Bridge. He also hinted that an operation would soon begin on the peninsula, which he classifies as “serious,” according to the Newsweek website.
Prolonged attacks on the bridge may force Russian forces to supply troops by road across the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. This could disrupt the Russian offensive, which has been gaining strength since the capture of Donetsk’s Avdijivka.
Officials have suggested that Western weapons would allow Ukraine to destroy the bridge more quickly. Therefore, Zelensky repeatedly asked Germany for Taurus KEPD-350 missiles. These are one of the most modern weapon systems of the German army.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has so far refused to provide missiles to Ukraine, saying that this would be tantamount to directly involving his country in a war with Russia. He reiterated his refusal last week in an interview with the regional daily Märkische Allgemeine. He also stated that with his decision he wanted to prevent the escalation of the war between Russia and the North Atlantic Alliance.
Gustav Gressel, a senior political officer at the European Council on Foreign Relations, believes that Scholz’s decision will prolong the war. In addition, the Taurus missiles are, in his opinion, similar to those supplied by Great Britain and France. “The idea that Scholz would avoid a war between NATO and Russia by not supplying some kind of equipment – whether tanks or Taurus missiles – is completely ridiculous. In fact, the opposite is true,” he told Newsweek.
Pazderka: There has been a fundamental turning point for Putin. Russians feel scared and scared (article with video here)
Spotlight Aktuálně.cz – Josef Pazderka | Video: The Spotlight Team