Oleksii Reznikov: Kerch Bridge Is Legitimate Target for AFU’s Attacks

Defence forces of Ukraine will continue to attack Russian ammunition depots in the temporarily occupied Crimea, as well as the Kerch Bridge. Ruining the enemy’s logistic lines is normal tactics.

“All these targets are official targets because it will reduce their [enemy] capacity to fight against us (and) will help to save the lives of Ukrainians…It’s normal tactics to ruin the logistic lines of your enemy to stop the options to get more ammunition, to get more fuel, to get more food, et cetera. That’s why we will use these tactics against them,” Minister of Defence of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov told CNN in an interview.

Russia operates as a terrorist state, shelling the civilian population of Ukraine, he added. In particular, this is confirmed by the latest attacks on the Odesa region after Russia’s withdrawal from the grain agreement.

“This approach is absurd, but it’s real, and that’s why it’s new evidence they are a terrorist state,” the minister said.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine have the capacity to respond to Russian ships’ attacks in the Black Sea, Reznikov stressed.

“We have capacity. We have weapons as we did with the cruiser Moskva, and if they threaten us in the Black Sea, we’ll have to respond,” he underscored.

The minister also said the Ukrainian offensive is behind schedule but “is going to plan.” At the same time, he cited several reasons why the counteroffensive may be slower than expected; in particular, this concerns ammunition, artillery rounds, and artillery systems.

Bohdan Marusyak