JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin’s Weak Link to Crimea: Kyiv Should Target the Kerch Bridge — but Needs Missiles to Take It Out” – Foreign Affairs/ Ben Hodges, Led Klosky, Robert Person, Eric Williamson

“… Crimea … became crucial to Moscow’s strategy to dominate Ukraine and the Black Sea region. Critical to that domination is the bridge spanning the Kerch Strait …  [between] Crimea [and] … mainland Russia. Built by Moscow at enormous cost, this bridge opened in 2018 … [and] has been a major conduit for … Russian soldiers and arms …. currently under Russian control and … of fundamental importance to the Russian war effort. … No single event could more quickly turn the tide of the war, reset the narrative, and restore confidence in Kyiv’s ability to win than crippling the most potent symbol of Russia’s occupation …. [T]he bridge … has been expertly constructed to bear heavy traffic. Its size, strength, and durability are such that it has withstood repeated Ukrainian attacks. For Kyiv to … permanently disabl[e] or destroy[] the bridge, Ukraine’s Western allies must provide … powerful precision-guided missiles[] [of greater] quantity and quality …. [A] massive salvo of missiles [would be necessary] to overwhelm Russia’s formidable [Crimean] missile defenses … and strike multiple [bridge] vulnerabilities … simultaneously or one critical element repeatedly. …”

The article recommends greater numbers of U.S. Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles and German Taurus missiles, or similar bunker-busting weapons, for use against Russia’s Kerch Strait bridge.

Unless destroyed or disabled, the Kerch Strait bridge will likely continue serving the Russian war effort.

Click here for: “Putin’s Weak Link to Crimea: Kyiv Should Target the Kerch Bridge — but Needs Missiles to Take It Out” – Foreign Affairs/ Ben Hodges, Led Klosky, Robert Person, Eric Williamson