Former NATO commander: Kerch bridge is a legitimate target for Ukrainian Armed Forces
Ukraine could deliver a devastating blow to the Kremlin by attacking the Kerch bridge, which connects mainland russia with annexed Crimea, using recently delivered Harpoon missiles
It was stated by the former commander of NATO's joint forces in Europe, General Philip Breedlove, in an interview with The Times.
Breedlove stated that an attack on the bridge would be justified by russia's aggression against Ukraine from all sides. "The Kerch bridge is a legitimate target," he said.
"I am not at all surprised that the russians are worried about the Kerch bridge. It is incredibly important to them. Now that the West has given Ukraine Harpoon missiles, I think the russians have every reason to worry that Ukraine will attack the bridge," the general added.
The Harpoon missile was first used by Ukraine last month when a russian naval tugboat was hit while trying to deliver the weapons to Snake Island.
"I'm a civil engineer by training, and I know how to build bridges. All bridges have weak points, and if targeted in the right place, it can make the Kerch bridge unusable for a while. But if they wanted to destroy the bridge, it would take more targeted bombing," Breedlove said.
He also said that many Western leaders and former leaders are now talking about what will happen if russia starts sinking Ukrainian grain ships or if the russian naval blockade becomes permanent.
"There are discussions about how the West might respond if this happens. Several people I spoke to said that destroying the Kerch bridge would be a huge blow to russia. The Kerch bridge is a legitimate target," he said.
Breedlove, whose military advice is still significant to the Biden administration, rejected the claims of those who doubted supporting Ukraine's offensive actions.
"russia invaded Ukraine and launched attacks not only from within Ukraine but from russia, Belarus, Crimea, and the Black Sea and killed tens of thousands of people. So we shouldn't worry about Ukraine being belligerent in its approach to targets in russia. It's like asking Roger Federer to play tennis with his arm tied behind his back and get served all the time," he said.
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