Recently, news that Crimea Bridge will be blown up by Ukraine has spread frequently. This is another wave of news after Russia and Ukraine planned to blow up the bridge during a military parade on May 9.
According to reports from Russia Today TV (RT) and other Russian media, on the 15th local time, Major General Dmitry Marchenko of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said, “For the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Kerch Bridge (i.e. Crimean Bridge) ) is absolutely our number one target. It's not a secret to their military or our military, and it's not a secret to their people or our people. It's going to be the number one target to be destroyed. ”
So, is Ukraine just a threat, or is it really possible to carry out the bridge bombing measure?
It should be said that Ukraine’s motives and capabilities are fully available.
Why did Ukraine bomb the Crimea Bridge?
As we all know, Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 (it has not been recognized by Ukraine and the international community so far).
In April 2014, Russian President Putin instructed the government to determine the construction of Kerch Strait Bridge (Crimean Bridge). On May 15, 2018, Russian President Putin attended the opening ceremony of the Kerch Strait Bridge. The bridge is 19 kilometers long, with 5,500 bridge piles and 595 bridge piers. It was officially completed in 2019. The project cost 228 billion rubles (approximately US$4 billion). It ranks among the most expensive bridges in the world and the longest in Europe. The bridge, Putin personally drove a truck across the bridge.
The strategic significance of the bridge to Russia is self-evident. The completion and opening of the bridge basically means that Crimea will find it difficult to return to the embrace of Ukraine.
Ukraine's biggest motivation for blowing up this bridge should come from the following aspects:
First, this bridge is expensive to build, and destroying this bridge will cause Russia to suffer great economic losses.
After all, after Russia occupied Crimea, with the character of Putin and Russia, they would not spit out the meat that came into their mouths. At present, although Russia has basically opened up land routes from Russia to Crimea via the Donbass region and Zaporozhye after capturing Mariupol, whether Ukraine will succeed in its counterattack in the future will depend on whether Russia can There are many variables in effectively controlling the area and whether the area will be stable after control. Therefore, destroying this bridge will cost Russia a lot if it rebuilds it.
Second, destroying this bridge will affect Russia's control of Crimea.
Although Crimea joined Russia in a referendum, from a legal perspective, Crimea is still Ukrainian territory. At present, it is certain that Ukraine will not recognize Crimea's accession to Russia in the short term, and will find ways to take Crimea back if given the opportunity. It is foreseeable that for a long period of time in the future, without the Crimean Bridge, material exchanges between Russia and Crimea will be blocked, and the survival and development of Crimea will be restricted.
Third, and most importantly, destroying this bridge will have a similar impact on Russia as the cruiser "Moscow" was sunk.
Since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, to be honest, the results of both sides have been lackluster. For Ukraine, the most effective thing is to sink the Russian cruiser "Moscow". If Ukraine can blow up the Crimean Bridge, it will be Ukraine's biggest result in more than three months, and it will also be Russia's heaviest loss. This result will far exceed the sinking of the cruiser "Moscow".
Finally, destroying the Crimean Bridge will greatly damage Russia's morale and inspire the confidence of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians to resist the Russian army.
So, is it possible for Ukraine to blow up the Crimean Bridge?
It should be said that the possibility exists. There is no unbreakable fortress in the history of human warfare, and all defenses have loopholes. With the support of the United States and other Western countries, Ukraine should be said to have the weapons to attack the Crimean Bridge.In addition to NATO some countries providing howitzers , the United States will also provide "Harpoon" anti-ship missiles and more supporting ammunition for high-mobility rocket launcher systems with a range of 300 kilometers, all of which may doom the bridge.
Of course, Russia's anti-missile and air defense system is not a vegetarian. The Russian army's defense against Crimea is more likely to be very complete, especially after the "Moscow" was sunk.
In response to Ukraine's possible attack on the bridge, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Peskov said on the 16th that the Russian military is taking more preventive measures to ensure the security of Crimea. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov stated on the 216th that Russia has noticed Ukraine’s threat to the Kerch Bridge in Crimea and that such a plan will be completely defeated. The Russian "Independent" website reported on June 21 that after Ukraine attacked Russia's drilling platform in the Black Sea, Russian officials said that the Crimean Bridge, the most coveted target of the Ukrainian military and politicians, was "impregnable in defense."
So, is the Crimean Bridge "impregnable" or vulnerable?
welcomes all netizens to express your opinions on this matter.
