U.S. Aided and Abetted Ukrainian Attack on Crimea Bridge

Sept. 4, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)—On Sept. 1, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that it had destroyed three sea drones that were involved in an attempted attack on the Kerch Strait Bridge that connects Crimea to the Russian mainland. Former Pentagon official Stephen Bryen, writes on his Substack page that it’s not the whole story. He cites the Military Channel as reporting that the Ukrainian attempt to destroy the bridge was aided and abetted by U.S. overhead assets coordinating the Ukrainian operation. According to this report, in the air at the time were a Global Hawk reconnaissance drone, dubbed Forte 11, a U.S. Navy P-8A patrol aircraft, a CL-60 Artemis intelligence aircraft—EIR has found this is a contractor-operated aircraft that has operated irregularly over the Black Sea as well as the Western Pacific for some years—and a U.S. Navy EP-3E intelligence gathering aircraft. “These platforms were intended to support the Ukrainian attempt to probe vulnerabilities in Russia’s defenses adjacent to and on the bridge while also supporting the Ukrainian counter-offensive in southern Ukraine,” Bryen writes.

Bryen then gives an overview of the situation at the front lines, but also reports on a recent interview with Kyrylo Budanov, the chief of Ukrainian intelligence,

“who says that Ukraine should take the war to Russian territory. This would mean using its main army forces to attack across Russia’s border (not just fire artillery shells, send in swat teams, or carry out arson, drone attacks and assassinations). His interview, if it is taken seriously, could have unintended consequences for Ukraine by stepping up the overall Russian response beyond the alleged limits of the Special Military Operation. For example, that could mean massive attacks on Kiev, or Odessa, or other actions designed to cripple Ukraine and its government.”

“Meanwhile, Washington continues to take big risks, starting with the supply of cluster munitions and, now, depleted uranium anti-tank shells,” Bryen concludes. “The use of U.S. intelligence assets to target Russia is also a risk that could lead to a bigger conflict in Europe. If the Washington escalation continues it is hard to predict what will happen in the weeks ahead.”