General Philip Breedlove, who was the top Allied commander for Europe from 2013 to 2016, said an attack could be launched with newly delivered Harpoon missiles. Sir Philip said an attack could be a devastating blow to the Kremlin as it links mainland Russia to… Crimea which, according to Moscow, was incorporated into the Russian Federation in 2014.
The general told The Times that the bridge is a “legitimate target” because of Russia’s continued aggression against Ukraine.
He said: “The Kerch Bridge is a legitimate target.
“I am not at all surprised that the Russians are concerned about the Kerch Bridge. It is incredibly important to them.
“Now that the West has given Ukraine” [sub-sonic, sea-skimming cruise] harpoon missiles [with a range of up 200 miles] I think the Russians have every reason to be concerned about Ukraine launching an attack on the bridge.
“There are many Western leaders and ex-leaders like me who are now having conversations about what would happen if Russia starts sinking Ukrainian grain ships or if the Russian naval blockade becomes kinetic.
“There are discussions about how the West can react if this happens.
“Several people I’ve talked to say ‘dropping’ [destroying] The Kerch Bridge would be a huge blow to Russia. Kerch bridge is a legitimate target.
“I’m a civil engineer and I know about bridge building.
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“So we should not worry that Ukraine is belligerent in its approach to targets in Russia.
“It would be like asking Roger Federer to play tennis with one hand tied behind his back and receive constant service.”
The predominantly Russian-speaking Crimea was incorporated into the Russian Federation in 2014 after a controversial referendum, although the move was not widely recognized internationally.
The region was historically seen as Russian but was handed over to Ukraine and then became a Soviet republic by the communist leader Nikita Khrushchev in 1954.
Kerch Strait’s 11-mile bridge carries both road and rail traffic to Crimea and was built between 2016 and 2018 at a cost of $3.5 billion.
In recent days, indications have emerged that Russian troops may be preparing for a possible attack on the bridge.
They have countermeasures along the bridge to fend off missile attacks and reflective radars to confuse missile guidance systems.