Ukraine threatens to destroy Putin's Crimean project: "It doesn't matter how - voluntarily or not"

Created: 2022-08-18Updated: 2022-08-18 11:02 am

By: Stephanie Munk

In the Ukraine war, Russia is apparently becoming increasingly nervous due to attacks on Crimea.

Now Kyiv is indirectly threatening to destroy Putin's prestige object.

The news ticker.

• Russia's bridge

  to

  Crimea

  : Ukraine indirectly threatens to destroy Putin's flagship project.

• Explosions

  in

  Crimea

  : Russia speaks of "sabotage", Ukraine of a "masterpiece".

• This

  news ticker on military events in the

  Ukraine war

  is updated regularly.

Kyiv - Soon after Russian President Vladimir Putin annexed the Crimean peninsula in violation of international law in 2014, he had a bridge built from Russian territory to the peninsula.

In 2018, Putin personally inaugurated the bridge across the Kerch Strait: the Russian President was the first to drive across the new bridge in a truck at the head of a convoy of vehicles.

The structure is strategically and symbolically extremely important for Russia, not least the most important road and rail link between mainland Russia and Crimea.

The 19-kilometer bridge connecting Russia to the Crimean Peninsula opened in 2018.

© Sergei Malgavko/TASS/Imago

Several explosions in Crimea - now Ukraine is apparently targeting a bridge

But Ukraine does not want to cede the peninsula, which originally belongs to its territory, to Russia without a fight: in the past few days there have been several explosions in Crimea, the origin of which has not been clarified, but can probably be traced back to Ukrainian attacks.

Russia, which uses the peninsula as a logistical base for the Ukraine war, reacted with uncertainty and started a partial withdrawal of its warplanes.

In addition, Putin apparently had the fleet commander in Crimea recalled: As the London Institute for the Study of War reports, Admiral Igor Osipov was replaced by his previous deputy Viktor Sokolov.

Ukraine calls on Russia to 'dismantle' bridge - 'voluntarily or not'

Ukraine has now called for the bridge from Russia to Crimea to be “dismantled”, indirectly threatening a military attack.

The bridge is an "illegal object" and must be dismantled - "no matter how: voluntarily or not," said Advisor to the President of Ukraine, Mykhailo Podoliak, on Wednesday (August 17) in the messenger service Telegram.

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Explosions in Crimea: Russia speaks of "sabotage"

An ammunition dump at a military base in the north of the peninsula exploded on Tuesday (August 16).

Moscow spoke of an "act of sabotage", but without naming those directly responsible.

The head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, praised a "masterpiece of the Ukrainian armed forces".

In addition to the ammunition depot, a high-voltage power line, a power plant, a railway line and several houses were also damaged.

A Russian soldier during a military exercise on the Crimean peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.

© Konstantin Mihalchevskiy/Imago

A week earlier, explosions had already occurred at the Russian military airfield at Saki in western Crimea, killing one and injuring several.

Tourists fled from the resort popular with Russians, there were long traffic jams over the Kerch bridge.

The detonations also gave rise to speculation about a new weapon that Ukraine is said to have in its possession.