Ukrainian official hints at blowing up Crimean bridge in 2022

Kiev, July 10 In the clearest admission yet, Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar has hinted at the country's forces blowing up a bridge that connected Russia and Crimea in October last year.

Listing 12 Ukrainian achievements since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, Maliar posted on Telegram: "273 days ago, (we) launched the first strike on the Crimean bridge to disrupt Russian logistics."

Her post also mentioned the sinking of the Russian warship Moskva (451 days ago) and the liberation of Snake Island (373 days ago), CNN reported.

The Ukrainian government however, has not responded on the Minister's claim.

The attack on the Kerch bridge, which disrupted major transport links between mainland Russia and the annexed Crimean Peninsula, not only struck a blow against Russia’s military effort in Ukraine but also represented a psychological blow for Moscow and a major propaganda victory for Kiev.

Ukrainian officials celebrated the blast at the time but did not make a clear claim of responsibility.

It took place a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin turned 70, and Ukraine’s Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council Oleksiy Danilov published a video of the bridge in flames alongside a video of Marilyn Monroe singing, “Happy Birthday, Mister President”.

The Ukrainian Navy had also posted on Facebook, saying, “Air defence of the Russian Federation, are you sleeping?” alongside a video showing a section of the bridge’s road that had been completely destroyed.