Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the bridge linking the Crimean Peninsula to Russia is a legitimate military target.
Speaking at the Aspen security conference in the US via video link, Mr Zelensky said the road and rail bridge was “not just a logistical road” and “brings war not peace”.
Two civilians were killed in an explosion on the road bridge on Monday, just nine months after it returned to full operation following a similar attack.
Ukrainian officials welcomed the attack but have not claimed direct responsibility.
Mr Zelensky said the route was used to “feed the war with ammunition on a daily basis”, adding that it “militarises the Crimean peninsula”.
“For us, this is understandably an enemy facility built outside international laws and all applicable norms.
“So, understandably, this is a target for us. And a target that is bringing war, not peace, has to be neutralised.”
Crimea was annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014 and Kyiv wants to reclaim it as it fights back against Russia's brutal invasion.
Mr Zelensky denied any link between the attack and Russia’s withdrawal from a UN-backed deal to export grain from Ukrainian ports, saying that Moscow had sought to disrupt the operation from the start.
“And later, they took this situation around the Crimea bridge, using it just as an example,” he said. “If not the Crimea bridge, they would have found another example, another reason.”
Elsewhere, Mr Zelensky said that the Ukrainian military’s counteroffensive has been moving more slowly than he would like.
Ukrainian forces are currently focused on capturing villages in the south and retaking areas seized by Moscow in recent months in the east.
He said: “Ukraine is not backtracking. It is progressively liberating its territories, which is very important.
“Still, I believe we are approaching a moment when relevant actions can gain pace. I do understand it is better to see that victory comes sooner. This is what we want too.”
In other developments, a drone attack on an ammunition depot in central Crimea prompted authorities to evacuate everyone in a 5km radius and suspend road traffic on the bridge linking the peninsula to Russia on Saturday.
Sergei Aksyonov, the region’s Moscow-installed Governor, said there was an explosion at a depot in Krasnohvardiiske but reported no casualties.
Footage shared by state media showed a thick cloud of grey smoke at the site.
Mr Aksyonov blamed it on a Ukrainian drone attack, but there was no immediate comment from Kyiv.
