Authorities in Moscow blamed Ukraine for an apparent attack Monday on a key bridge that connects the occupied Crimean Peninsula with southern Russia and has become a symbol of President Vladimir Putin’s rule.
It is the second time in less than a year that the 12-mile bridge across the Kerch Strait has been attacked. Russia’s Investigative Committee described Monday’s strike as a “terrorist attack” and claimed it was carried out by Ukrainian special forces using naval drones.
Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence, declined comment on Monday’s explosion. But he said “the peninsula is used by the Russians as a large logistical hub for moving forces and assets deep into the territory of Ukraine. Of course, any logistical problems are additional complications for the occupiers.”
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, urged the Kremlin to retaliate with “targeted and quite inhumane steps” against those involved in the bridge attack.
“Their own homes and the houses of their relatives should be blown up,” Medvedev said, adding that Russian authorities must “search for and wipe out their accomplices.”
Developments:
∎ The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said the two people killed in the bridge explosion are the parents of a child who was injured in the blast.
∎ The blast may have been a “planned provocation” by Russia, Ukraine Southern Operational Command spokesperson Natalia Humeniuk said.
Trump doubles down on claim he could end war in 24 hours
Former President Donald Trump is defending a controversial claim that he could forge a Ukraine peace within 24 hours of returning to the White House, saying he would tell Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to make a deal.
Trump, speaking on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” said he has a good relationship with Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I would tell Zelenskyy: ‘No more. You got to make a deal.’ I would tell Putin: ‘If you don’t make a deal, we’re going to give him a lot. We’re going to (give Ukraine) more than they ever got if we have to.’ I will have the deal done in one day. One day,” said Trump, who has a sizable lead in early polling for the Republican presidential nomination.
Zelenskyy has dismissed Trump’s assertion that the deal could be made so quickly, saying Trump probably would pressure Ukraine into ceding territory to Russia, a concession Zelenskyy has rejected.
Bomb threat forces evacuation of Kyiv hospital
Hundreds of patients and staff were evacuated from a Kyiv hospital Monday after reports that bombs had been planted at the facility. Police were combing the building in search of explosives. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said almost 250 patients and more than 200 medical staff were evacuated.
Russia firing commanders amid insubordination claims
The Russian Defense Ministry has begun removing commanders from some of the military’s most effective units, probably because of insubordination , a Washington-based think tank reports. The Institute for the Study of War says in its latest assessment of the Ukraine-Russia conflict that some of those being fired had attempted to bypass Army Gen. Valery Gerasimov and bring complaints directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Insubordination among commanders appears to be spreading to some of their soldiers, the assessment adds. It says Russian military bloggers shared an audio excerpt in which some soldiers threatened to withdraw from their positions in the occupied Kherson region if popular Col. Gen. Mikhail Teplinsky was arrested. The soldiers are “blackmailing” the ministry on behalf of Teplinsky despite his previous affiliation with Wagner Group financier Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led a brief, ill-fated armed rebellion on June 24 apparently aimed at overthrowing Gerasimov among others.
Russia says it will let grain deal expire
A United Nations and Turkey-brokered agreement that allows Ukraine to export grains and other foodstuffs via its Black Sea ports was expiring Monday after Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was canceling the agreement because his country was not being allowed to export its food and fertilizers. The West denies claims the Russian shipments were being held up, saying the commodities have been exempted from sanctions.
“As soon as the Russian part is fulfilled, the Russian side will immediately return to the implementation of this deal,” Peskov said. He said the attack on the Crimean bridge would have no effect on the deal, which was brokered in 2022 by the U.N. and Turkey. The agreement has allowed for safe passage of more than 32 million metric tons of food products from Ukrainian ports and helped to reduce food prices more than 20% since March 2022, the U.N. says.
Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, tweeted that Putin’s decision to pull out of the deal is “reckless & will have dangerous ramifications beyond Ukraine.”
Zelenskyy said his country will try to continue shipping grain despite the threat posed by the Russian navy in the Black Sea. “We are not afraid,” Zelenskyy said.
Ukraine counteroffensive expected to make more gains
A senior Estonian defense intelligence official said a combination of factors indicated Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russia “could soon expect greater success.” Col. Margo Grosberg, commander of the Estonian Defense Forces Intelligence Center, told his country’s media that Russia was running out of reserve soldiers, its generals were reporting resupply problems, and Ukrainian forces were destroying Russian command posts and logistics centers in areas bordering Bakhmut as they pushed east.
