A senior Ukrainian diplomat has dropped a major hint about Kyiv’s next big strike against Putin’s army, causing panic in the Kremlin.
Putin and his generals appear increasingly confident that they are winning the war in Ukraine. Over the winter, the Russians have regained the battlefield initiative and achieved various tactical successes.
The Kremlin’s army is on the march, advancing westwards from Avdiivka in the Donbas towards Kramatorsk.
Fierce battles are raging around Chasiv Yar, a strategically vital city that Zelensky’s forces are desperately trying to cling on to.
The Russians are exploiting the political wrangling among Kyiv’s western allies that has delayed the delivery of desperately needed weapons and ammunition – handing them a huge advantage.
In some places on the front, Ukraine‘s soldiers are finding themselves outgunned ten-to-one and outmanned seven-to-one by their Russian foes. However, Kyiv’s fortunes maybe about to change, after the US Congress finally approved a $61 billion (£49bn) military aid package.
ATACMS ballistic missiles with a range of up to 300 km (186 miles) are believed to be part of the new aid deal.
The US produced missiles will help Ukraine‘s army hit targets deep in Russia‘s rear – and there is one in particular that appears to be tempting Zelensky’s generals.
In a post to his social media account on X, Ukraine‘s permanent representative to the UN – Sergiy Kyslytsya – gave the clearest indication yet of what is coming Putin’s way.
The post lists six “types”of bridge. Five of them are accompanied by diagrams. However the sixth – the Kerch bridge which connects occupied Crimea with the Russian mainland – has no diagram accompanying it – just an empty space.
Putin commissioned the construction of the Kerch bridge to connect the Crimean peninsula to the Russian mainland in 2016. It was completed by 2018.
The 19km bridge has become a vital supply and transport route for Putin’s troops in occupied Crimea and other Russian controlled territories.
It was badly damaged by Ukraine‘s army after an attack involving Sea Baby drones in October 2022.
