A top Ukrainian commander vowed this week to use long-range Western weaponry to strike a massive bridge between Russia and the annexed Crimean peninsula.
On Wednesday night, Kyiv’s Major General Dmytro Marchenko declared the 745-foot Kerch bridge was a valid military target in his country’s ongoing conflict against Vladimir Putin’s invading forces.
The commander, who has been heading Ukraine’s defense of the Mykolaiv area in the south, characterized the £2.7 billion bridge as a ‘umbilical chord’ bringing Russian troops to the south, according to the Krym.Realii website.
When asked what Ukraine’s military planned to do with the modern weaponry that Kyiv is requesting from the West, he told the newspaper that the bridge would be “our number one target.”
‘To cut off (Russian) reinforcements, we need to rip this umbilical chord.’ He predicted that “as soon as it’s done, (Moscow) will panic.”
Ukraine has requested its partners to provide more and better weaponry to the nation, claiming that it will be unable to fend against Russia’s more formidable military without more assistance. Western armaments have played a key role in the besieged country’s surprise success thus far.
Western nations, on the other hand, have been hesitant to deploy long-range weaponry capable of attacking farther within Russian territory, fearing that doing so would entangle other countries in an even larger contract.
In 2014, Russia took Crimea from Ukraine. The bridge, which spans the Kerch Strait, was finished in 2018, and Russia has begun using it to transport soldiers and military equipment to the Black Sea region.
On February 24, 2022, eight years later, when the invasion began, this was utilized as a launch pad for Russia to attack Ukraine.
Following Marchenko’s remarks, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated on Thursday that the bridge was properly safeguarded by Russia’s “preventive measures” and was safe to cross for travelers.
In reaction to his remarks, Ukraine’s military intelligence service published what looked to be complete drawings for the bridge, which spanned 242 pages.
Marchenko believes that such weapons would aid Ukraine in winning the conflict by the end of the summer, and that if they arrived sooner, Russian forces would be unable to dig in deeper and hold onto the region they have already taken.
‘Perhaps my knowledge is insufficient to forecast this,’ he added. ‘However, it is a truth that this will not end fast. However, they will provide us with all of the weaponry we require, and the counteroffensive will most likely be over by the end of the summer.
He went on to remark that he had never expected his men to face so many Russian foes, and that the subject of reaching a peace with Russia had reached a “point of no return.”
We’ve already reached the point when there’s no turning back. It was in the beginning, when it was possible to stop everything, during the negotiation stage, but after what they did, we had past the point of no return,’ he claimed.
‘And I’ll warn everybody who wants peace and tranquility in whatever form that it won’t be there.’
The Ukrainian navy claimed on Friday that it had hit a Russian boat transporting air defense equipment to a crucial Black Sea island.
Marchenko believes that such weapons would aid Ukraine in winning the conflict by the end of the summer, and that if they arrived sooner, Russian forces would be unable to dig in deeper and hold onto the region they have already taken.
‘Perhaps my knowledge is insufficient to forecast this,’ he added. ‘However, it is a truth that this will not end fast. However, they will provide us with all of the weaponry we require, and the counteroffensive will most likely be over by the end of the summer.
He went on to remark that he had never expected his men to face so many Russian foes, and that the subject of reaching a peace with Russia had reached a “point of no return.”
We’ve already reached the point when there’s no turning back. It was in the beginning, when it was possible to stop everything, during the negotiation stage, but after what they did, we had past the point of no return,’ he claimed.
‘And I’ll warn everybody who wants peace and tranquility in whatever form that it won’t be there.’
The Ukrainian navy claimed on Friday that it had hit a Russian boat transporting air defense equipment to a crucial Black Sea island.
Following a series of defeats early in the conflict, notably the inability to conquer Kiev, Russian forces have shifted their emphasis to the Donbas, where they are waging a grinding offensive.
They have recently pushed in on Severodonetsk and nearby villages, the final enclave of the Luhansk area that Russia and its allies have yet to take.
‘The Russians are shelling the city,’ stated Serhiy Haidai, the governor of Luhansk. ‘Fighting in Severodonetsk is becoming increasingly tough for us because the Russians outnumber us in artillery and personnel, and it’s becoming increasingly impossible for us to withstand this onslaught of fire.’
According to him, the persistent bombardment made it difficult for 568 people, including 38 children, who were refuge in the city’s Azot chemical plant to flee.
All three bridges leading out of the city have been demolished by Russian forces, although Mr Haidai claims they have not yet been completely closed off.
An evacuation from the Azot facility might take place under specific conditions, according to the Moscow envoy for Russia-backed rebels who control much of the terrain near Severodonetsk.
Rodion Miroshnik of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic said on social media on Friday that Russian soldiers and separatists are “ready to explore alternatives for providing a humanitarian corridor for the escape of people, but subject to strict respect to the truce.”
Mr Miroshnik accused Kyiv’s forces of attempting to sabotage the evacuation of residents from Azot earlier this week, an accusation disputed by Ukrainian officials.
Kyiv has also lobbied for more political assistance, including a faster path to European Union membership.
Four European Union officials pledged to support Kyiv’s application for future membership in the group during a visit to Ukraine on Thursday. On Friday, the European Commission will gather to deliver its formal proposal.
The war has raised pressure on EU nations to move faster on Ukraine’s candidate status, and the EU’s 27-nation union is one step closer to doing so with Thursday’s vow to support Ukraine’s and Moldova’s candidacy status.
However, the process is likely to take years, and EU nations are split on how fast and completely to welcome newcomers.