Oleksii Reznikov reports that blowing up the bridge near Chonhar would not have stopped the offensive from Crimea

IRYNA BALACHUK – THURSDAY, 11 AUGUST 2022, 10:46

Oleksii Reznikov, the Minister of Defence of Ukraine, believes that blowing up the bridge near Chonhar on Ukraine’s administrative border with the occupied Crimean Peninsula would not stop the Russian offensive, because there are a number of land routes from Crimea.

Source: Reznikov in an interview to Ukrainska Pravda

Quote from Reznikov: "I can say only one thing, I used this argument in defence of our military during the meeting of this parliamentary committee: everyone who shouts ‘Everything is lost, the bridge was not blown up!’ – listen, first of all, to the military! And they will tell you that there are more than 10 passages from the Crimea on land, not via bridges! And therefore, blowing up the bridge would not affect the ability of the Russia troops to advance in this direction."

Details: Reznikov noted that this was "responsibly said by one of the military generals, who is currently in the political opposition."

He also added that the issue of Chonhar and demining the bridge will be investigated after Ukraine’s victory.

Quote from Reznikov: "This issue was discussed at a meeting of a specialised parliamentary committee. I was there together with General Zaluzhny, our commander-in-chief, and the Chief of the General Staff, General Shaptala. Our military officials gave the following explanation: after the victory, an appropriate investigation will be conducted. And if the fact is established that someone from the military or a representative of other forces of the security and defence sector has committed a crime, they will certainly be brought to justice."

Details: According to Reznikov, this is a matter for the military, and they "are interested in conducting such an investigation."

Currently, the Security Service of Ukraine and Counterintelligence Service are collecting and recording evidence. During the investigation, they will establish whether "sabotage, espionage, provocation took place, or whether it was someone's senseless negligence."

Background:

The theory that Russian troops allegedly successfully occupied Kherson Oblast in the first days of a full-scale invasion because Ukrainian forces demined the administrative border with Crimea spread on social media in March.

At the beginning of April, Ihor Kolykhaev, Mayor of Kherson, in a conversation with Ukrainska Pravda indirectly confirmed the fact that the land bridge was demined on the eve of the invasion.

At the end of April, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reacted to these rumours and announced that the bridge had been mined.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Become our patron, support our work!