Ukrainian diplomat hints that Crimea bridge will collapse this year

Mr Kislitsa made the threat in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on May 1, sharing an image of a “2024 list of six major bridge types”. The example tagged with “Kerch” shows a blank space.

Senior Ukrainian officials have said destroying the Crimean bridge is a top priority, insisting it is a legitimate military target. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told German media earlier this month that destroying the bridge is something “we very much want.”

Russia completed the Kerch Strait crossing in 2020, as part of Moscow’s strategy to retaliate against Ukraine’s blockade of mainland Crimea. The peninsula voted to secede from Ukraine and join Russia in 2014 following a US-backed coup in Kiev earlier that year.

Some countries that support Kiev share the view of attacks on Russian infrastructure. Last week, Lithuania’s ambassador to Sweden, Linas Linkevicius, suggested on social media that the US supply of long-range ATACMS missiles would lead to the destruction of the Crimean Bridge. The diplomat urged people to take selfies with the structure while they still could.

Moscow sees Ukraine’s threats and tactics as confirmation that using military force against its neighbor was the right decision. Russian officials say Kiev has escalated its sabotage and bombing campaigns due to its defeat on the battlefield.

Ukrainian special forces have carried out two major bombings on the bridge since Russia launched its military operation in its neighbor in 2022.

Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that, amid the frontline defeat, Kiev was making “attempts to seize border territories, attack peaceful areas, including the use of multiple launch rocket systems, attacks on energy infrastructure, attempts to launch missile strikes on the Crimean bridge and the peninsula itself.”