Crimean bridge across the Kerch Strait. File photoMOSCOW, July 8Former Supreme Commander of the Allied NATO Forces in Europe, General Philip Breedlove, called the Crimean Bridge a «legitimate target» for Ukrainian troops, the Russian authorities have repeatedly criticized such statements, including comparing them with the words of terrorists and noting that all attempts to cause damage will fail and will be severely suppressed. According to the general, Ukraine could use the recently delivered Harpoon missiles to strike the bridge.Two Bundeswehr soldiers planned to blow up the Crimean Bridge, media reported «There are many Western leaders and former leaders like me who are now talking about what will happen if Russia starts sinking Ukrainian ships with grain, or if the Russian naval blockade continues … Discussions are underway about how the West might react if this happens. Several people I spoke to said that the «fall» (destruction) of the Kerch Bridge would be a huge blow to Russia. The Kerch Bridge is a legitimate target,» Breedlove told the British The Times newspaper. Earlier, Major General of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Dmitry Marchenko told the Ukrainian media that the Crimean bridge would become the number one goal if the Ukrainian troops were supplied with appropriate weapons from the United States and Europe. The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation then informed that it would give a legal assessment of his statements. Deputy Speaker of the State Duma Irina Yarovaya compared Marchenko's words with the typical behavior of terrorists. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov noted that the security of Crimea is guaranteed by preventive measures taken by the Russian military. He also stated that the threats against the Crimean bridge are known to the Kremlin, they are taken into account. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking on the topic of threats against the Crimean bridge, pointed out that all these statements are taken into account, such plans will fail. />»They want to hit the Crimean bridge.» What Kyiv asked the United States State Duma deputy from the Crimean region Mikhail Sheremet called Kyiv's threat to strike the Crimean bridge a suicide and warned that in the event of even an attempted provocation, decision-making centers would be immediately destroyed. The head of the Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, pointed out that attempts to damage the Crimean bridge would be severely suppressed, the security of the structure and other strategic facilities was ensured at the highest level. According to him, the land part of Crimea is covered by air defense forces as much as possible, nothing threatens the peninsula. Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.» According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, as of March 25, the Armed Forces completed the main tasks of the first stage — they significantly reduced the combat potential of Ukraine. The main goal in the Russian military department was called the liberation of Donbass. In particular, Volnovakha, a strategically important regional center south of Donetsk, Mariupol, the largest city on the coast of the Sea of Azov, and Svyatogorsk, which houses a large Orthodox monastery with the status of a lavra, have been liberated in the DPR. On July 3, with the capture of Lisichansk and the surrounding settlements, the entire territory of the LPR was liberated.
