Ukrainian General Dmitry Marchenko has said the bridge would become the “number one target” if Kyiv acquired weapons systems with effective range capable of hitting it.
Ukraine appeared to threaten again on Thursday to target the bridge over the Kerch Strait in Crimea, announcing details of its construction.
The Ukrainian military intelligence service has released a 300-page document containing official Russian plans to build a bridge on the Russian-annexed peninsula. The authenticity of the document cannot be verified independently.
The document was released the day after Ukrainian General Dmitry Martchenko said the bridge would become “target number one” if Kyiv acquired weapons systems with a range of weapons capable of hitting it. He explained that Russia is using the 18-kilometer bridge to transport supplies to both Crimea and its troops in southern Ukraine.
The construction of the bridge cost billions. It connects the Crimean peninsula with the Russian mainland from 2018.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov said all possible precautions had been taken for Crimea’s security. He added that the Russian government was aware of the threat posed by the Ukrainian armed forces to target the bridge.
Moscow has threatened to bomb Kiev if Ukrainian forces attack the bridge.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that General Martchenko’s threat runs counter to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s promise not to use long-range Western weapons to destroy targets on Russian soil. However, Kyiv still considers Crimea an integral part of Ukraine.
