Ukraine issues new Crimean Bridge threat --Kiev says work is underway to destroy the strategic Russian link by the end of the year | 3 Aug 2024 | Kiev is working on plans to destroy Russia's Crimean Bridge within the next few months or by the end of the year, the head of Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), Kirill Budanov, said during a national telethon on Friday. The comment was made in reply to a journalist’s question about whether the crucial link between the Crimean Peninsula and mainland Russia can be destroyed in the near future. Kiev is currently "working hard" on plans -- including long-range strikes -- to make it happen, he said, adding that "a comprehensive approach" is required... The bridge was completed in 2020. Crimea voted [overwhelmingly] in a referendum to join Russia in 2014 following the U.S.-backed coup in Kiev earlier the same year.