Crimea bridge is legitimate military target, Zelenskiy says
July 21 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that the bridge linking the Crimea peninsula to Russia “brings war not peace” and was therefore a military target.
Explosions on the Crimea bridge on Monday killed two civilians and put part of the road bridge out of service, which had only recently returned to full operation after being severely damaged in a similar attack in October.
Ukraine welcomed Monday’s attack, but officials did not directly claim responsibility, and Moscow blamed Ukraine. Crimea was annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014 and Kyiv wants to reclaim it as it fights back against Russia’s 17-month-long full-scale invasion.
The road and rail bridge, built by Russia and brought into service in 2018 was “not just a logistical road”, said Zelenskiy, speaking by video link to the Aspen security conference in the United States.
“This is the route used to feed the war with ammunition and this is being done on a daily basis. And it militarises the Crimean peninsula,” Zelenskiy said in comments heard through an interpreter.
“For us, this is understandably an enemy facility built outside international laws and all applicable norms. So, understandably, this is a target for us. And a target that is bringing war, not peace, has to be neutralised.”
