The Ukrainian military will be able to destroy the Kerch (Crimea) Bridge with sufficient guided missiles such as the ATACMS and the German-made Taurus missiles.
Ben Hodges, a retired United States Army officer who served as commanding general of the United States Army Europe, has written about this in an article for Foreign Affairs.
The retired general calls the construction of the bridge part of Moscow's strategy to dominate Ukraine and the Black Sea region. Its destruction may become the key to Ukraine's victory not only in Crimea but also in the war in general. Hodges calls the main problem for the Armed Forces the fact that the bridge is resistant to damage and attack. To finally disable it, a massive attack with powerful missiles is necessary. However, even advanced missiles such as ATACMS have limited accuracy and are unlikely to hit relatively small targets on the bridge.
Hodges noted that the German Taurus missile, designed to destroy bunkers, may have a greater chance of damaging one or more bridge piers. However, Germany refuses to provide Ukraine with these missiles due to fears of retaliatory steps by russia.
The ex-commander emphasizes that the most effective way to destroy the bridge is dismantling it using explosive charges. However, this requires direct access to the bridge, which Ukrainian troops do not have yet.
Hodges believes that until the Crimean Peninsula is liberated, Ukraine should continue to attack the bridge with all available means, even if it will only temporarily disable it. Continued attacks could slow down russian logistics and reduce the advantage Moscow gets from occupying the peninsula. He also recalled that russia is considering the possibility of building a tunnel under the Kerch Strait together with China, which shows their concern about the threat of the destruction of the bridge.
Hodges called on the United States to increase the supply of necessary weapons to the Ukrainian Defense Forces and to intensify diplomatic efforts to persuade Germany to provide Ukraine with Taurus missiles. He emphasized that the destruction of the Kerch Bridge is a very real task if the necessary tools are available.
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