Ukrainians threaten to destroy Russian bridge to Crimea ‘target number one’
- Ukrainian general says bridge linking Crimea to Russian mainland would be targeted if Kyiv obtained right weapons
- Kyiv still sees occupied Black Sea Crimea peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, as part of Ukraine
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Ukraine appeared to threaten to target a key Russian bridge across the Kerch Strait to Crimea by publishing details of its construction.
Ukrainian military intelligence published what it said were official Russian construction details about the bridge, although it was not immediately possible to establish the authenticity of the nearly 300-page document.
It was published on Thursday, a day after Ukrainian General Dmytro Marchenko said the bridge would be “target number one” if Kyiv obtained the necessary weapons. He said Moscow used the bridge to transport supplies to Crimea and southern Ukraine.
The 18km (11-mile) bridge cost billions to build and has linked Crimea to the Russian mainland since 2018.
Russian government spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said all precautions were in place to ensure the security of Crimea. He said the Kremlin was aware of Kiyv’s latest threats to target the bridge.
Moscow has threatened to bomb Kyiv if the structure is attacked.