Explosion on Crimean bridge is Putin’s biggest humiliation, - retired colonel Leighton. VIDEO
The explosion and partial destruction of the Crimean bridge became the biggest humiliation for Russian President Vladimir Putin, especially considering that it happened the day after his 70th birthday.
CNN military analyst, retired US Air Force colonel Cedric Leighton said this on the air of the TV channel, Censor.NET reports.
"This is definitely one of the biggest humiliations that Putin could have endured - unless, of course, something happened in Moscow," Leighton said.
"The Crimean bridge was one of the largest engineering projects of the Russian Federation. Its undermining and partial destruction is a serious blow to Russia's prestige and Putin's personal prestige," he emphasized.
The retired colonel emphasized that the bridge played an important role in the supply of Russian troops.
"Russia can transfer (through this bridge. - Ed.) a significant number of tanks, equipment, weapons - by rail or by road. These events force the Russians to use sea routes of supply to Crimea from Russia," he explained.
According to Leighton, the partial destruction of the bridge creates serious problems for Russian army logistics, which already faces constant challenges. And it can cause an aggressive response from the Russian Federation.
"I expect him to hit civilian targets in Ukraine. Just like in the last few days when we saw attacks near Kyiv and in the Zaporizhzhia region. ... If he can, he will try to intensify the military operation. He may also try to take revenge on those he believed to be directly responsible for the explosion on the bridge," Leighton said.
Answering the presenter's question about the appointment of Serhiy Surovikin as the new commander of the war against Ukraine, Layton noted: "The problem (Russian. - Ed.) is that the personnel potential (of their armymen. - Ed.) is not as great as they would like and as we expected. ... But even if they had very talented generals - such as the American Eisenhower or the Russian Zhukov - it would be very difficult for them to get their orders carried out, more difficult than it was during the Second World War. Now the Russians have a completely different environment. People don't want to follow these orders."
