The British newspaper The Sun reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) plans to destroy the Crimea bridge in mid-July 2024.
“Ukrainian officials say they will destroy the Crimean bridge… by mid-July,” The Sun reported, noting that Western military experts believe the AFU could use 20 to 40 Storm Shadow cruise missiles to attack the bridge span and use unmanned boats to blow up the bridge piers.
In this regard, last week, Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky admitted that the AFU's future counterattack plans include the destruction of the Crimean Bridge by 2024. The Ukrainian president spoke about this in an interview with German media.
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The President of Ukraine affirmed that AFU will not only attack the Crimean bridge, but also the structures and infrastructure that are being used by Russia for military purposes. Kiev wants to destroy the bridge, which is used to transport weapons, and the airports of the Russian Air Force on the peninsula.
Meanwhile, assessing the possibility of a new Ukrainian counterattack, including an attack on the Crimean Bridge, Igor Kimakovsky, an advisor to the Donetsk region leader, stressed that the new Ukrainian military counterattack will not be successful for objective reasons. The AFU currently lacks funding from the West, as well as problems with ammunition supplies and weak combat capabilities on the battlefield.
First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, Alexey Chepa, called the statements of the President of Ukraine unrealistic.
“I think this is just a simple hoax, behind it there could be any other goal. We see the realistic scenario that Ukraine is losing,” said Alexey Chepa.
In early April 2024, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense , General Kirill Budanov, admitted that the Crimean Bridge is still the priority target of the AFU.
At the same time, he stressed, the bridge is well protected. However, he quickly noted that GUR is “working on this issue.”
Ukrainian security analyst Mikhail Samus revealed the new operational plan of the AFU Commander-in-Chief, General Alexander Syrsky regarding Crimea.
The expert noted that the AFU plans to attack the peninsula in 2024 with F-16 fighters received from the West. This plan coincides with the AFU's transition to a defensive posture to accumulate resources for a major counterattack in 2025.
Regarding the battlefield situation, after the defense line at Berdychi collapsed, the Russian Ministry of Defense informed that many elite AFU paratrooper units surrendered.
Specifically, at least nine soldiers of the 25th Airborne Brigade of the AFU laid down their weapons and surrendered to the Russian side near the village of Vodyanoye.
Surrendered Ukrainian paratroopers said that the unit’s commanders never appeared on the front line and that missions were conducted remotely by radio. “Our superiors do not care about us,” said a surrendering soldier named Alexander. “They do not want to go to the positions to assess the real situation on the battlefield.”
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| Ukraine is planning a major counterattack, including the destruction of the Crimean bridge. Photo: AP |
A Ukrainian soldier who surrendered, Valery, said commanders were abandoning their units on the front lines and staying out of the conflict. Many Ukrainian soldiers also complained about poor planning, lack of professional military training and logistics when needed. Ukrainian soldiers said they were treated well by the Russian army and urged their comrades to lay down their arms.
In April 2024, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it had taken control of many important positions in the Bakhmut direction. Due to the rapid advance of the Russian side, many Ukrainian defense units were surrounded and divided, and they decided to surrender.
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