MOSCOW, April 11. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky's threats to destroy the Crimean bridge as part of a new counter-offensive are a manifestation of terrorism, while the counter-offensive of the Ukrainian army itself will be impossible due to the depletion of manpower, military analyst Igor Korotchenko, the editor-in-chief of National Defense magazine, has told TASS.
Earlier, in an interview with the German newspaper Bild, Zelensky said that Kiev had developed a plan for a new counter-offensive. He mentioned that Ukraine "would very much like" to destroy the Crimean bridge, but "it is not only about it" but also about "some infrastructure facilities that serve a military purpose," including airfields and other bridges.
"As for the announced strikes on the Crimean bridge, this is pure international terrorism. Ukraine has previously made repeated attempts to hit the Crimean bridge both using terrorist saboteurs and crewless kamikaze boats. But, given the terrorist attacks that took place lately, Russia has seriously strengthened its capabilities, including by deploying additional air defense forces and means, putting up booms and taking a whole range of other technical measures that minimize Ukraine’s opportunities for staging more attacks of this sort," Korotchenko said.
Nevertheless, such attempts can be made with high-precision weapons, which Britain and France have supplied to Ukraine, the analyst said. This concerns both means of air attack, in particular, Storm Shadow missiles and terrorist attacks.
"This threat is real and permanent," Korotchenko added. "It is clear that in this case this statement is fresh confirmation that Kiev currently opts for sabotage and terrorism."
At the same time, Korotchenko noted that today the a Ukrainian counter-offensive is impossible primarily due to the depletion of Ukrainian troops, dwindling morale and the lack of military and technical resources.
"In addition, the fact that Ukraine over the past few months has been creating a number of, let's say, lines of defense, where large human reserves as well as financial resources have been attracted, suggests that Kiev's plans are to hold on to the positions it still retains. Or, even if they leave them, to prevent the loss of major cities and towns along the current line of engagement," the analyst said. He explained that similar Russian experience of creating long-term defense lines during the Ukrainian counter-offensive in the summer of 2023 was taken as a basis.
"The recommendations of Ukraine’s Western handlers point in the same direction: that the most important thing for Ukraine is to hold the current positions," Korotchenko emphasized.