The bridge connecting the Crimean peninsula with Russia “brings war, not peace” and is therefore a military target, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday, citing Reuters.

On Monday, explosions on this bridge across the Kerch Strait killed two civilians and disabled part of its roadway, which only recently reopened after being severely damaged in a similar attack in October.

Ukrainian officials did not claim responsibility for the attack, but Moscow blamed it on Kyiv. Crimea was annexed by Russia in 2014, and Ukraine wants the peninsula back as it fights a 17-month, full-scale invasion by Russia.

The bridge across the Kerch Strait, which is also called “Putin’s bridge” – consisting of two sections, road and rail, built and put into operation by Russia in 2018 – is not just a “logistics route”, Zelenskyy said during a video conference at a security conference in Aspen, USA.

“This route supplies ammunition for the war, and it is done every day. And this militarizes the Crimean peninsula,” Zelenskyy said in comments through an interpreter.

“For us, this is a naturally hostile object, built outside international laws and all existing norms. Therefore, naturally, this is a goal for us. And the goal that brings war, not peace, must be neutralized,” the Ukrainian president said.

Asked by a conference moderator, Zelensky denied any connection between the attack on the bridge across the Kerch Strait and Russia’s withdrawal this week from a UN-backed deal on Ukrainian grain exports through Black Sea ports.

According to him, from the very beginning, Russia prevented the normal functioning of the grain corridor.

“Ukraine is not backing down”

“And then they took this situation around the Crimean bridge, using it as an excuse. If it weren’t for the Crimean Bridge, he would have found another example, another reason,” Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyi noted that the long-awaited counteroffensive of the Ukrainian military, which began last month, took some time to prepare, during which the Russian occupation forces built several defensive lines and intensively mined Ukrainian territory.

The President of Ukraine repeated his earlier assessment that the counteroffensive is proceeding more slowly than he would like. So far, the campaign has focused on capturing some villages in the south and territories occupied by Russia in recent months in the east.

“Ukraine is not backing down. They are gradually vacating their territories, which is very important,” Zelenskyy said.

“However, I believe we are approaching a point where appropriate action can accelerate. I understand that it is better for the victory to come faster. We want that too,” he said.