Second attack on the Crimean bridge
The Kerch Bridge has been attacked again - this time apparently with surface drones. While the railway line to Crimea remains intact, traffic on the motorway has been severely limited. A couple from Belgorod who were on holiday were killed in their car as a result. Commentators discuss the goal of the attack - and why there were civilian victims.
Civilians serve as shield for supply route
In a Telegram post picked up by Echo, the exiled oligarch and Putin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky sees Putin as responsible for the victims:
“Putin supplies his troops via the Crimean Bridge, which is an illegally constructed crossing into the occupied territory of a neighbouring country. The destruction of such a supply route is legitimate. ... Covering the supply routes with a stream of civilians will inevitably lead to casualties. Encouraging civilians to holiday in the frontline zone is a crime - and in an illegally occupied frontline zone, a twofold crime. And on a route used to supply the fighting army, a threefold one. I feel very sorry for the civilians, even if they have so little sense that they actually believe the Kremlin.”
A boost for Ukraine's morale
The attack on the Crimean Bridge will bolster the Ukrainians, The Independent believes:
“Ukrainian drone strikes on the Kremlin, raids by Russian exiled paramilitaries, and the extraordinary attempted march on Moscow by Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner fighters, have brought the war home for people in Russia. The bridge assault is another reminder that the conflict is not restricted to a foreign land. ... It is far from certain that Ukraine will get Crimea back. But, with the current offensive grinding on, with limited and slow reclaiming of territory, the Kerch attack is a potent symbol and morale-boosting action.”
The railway bridge is key
The damaged highway bridge is not of crucial strategic importance, says Russia expert András Rácz on Facebook:
“The most important thing for the long-term supply of the Russian armed forces - and, let's add, the population - in Crimea is the railway bridge, which runs next to the road bridge. If it is also rendered unusable, I would not like to be in the shoes of Russian logisticians in Crimea and the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.”