So what are the implications of the extensive damage to the Kerch Bridge? Ironically damaged on Putin’s 70th birthday, this is more than a symbolic blow to the Russian President. Mocked by Ukrainians, Happy Birthday Mr President was part of the announcement – too funny.

Ironically, this bridge is a personal project of President Putin, so the timing of the explosion was immaculate. This is a further blow to his prestige, his personal project was targeted and successfully hit. Everyone expects the Russian military to respond with attacks on Ukrainian residential areas, while they cannot respond on the battlefield, they can attack non-combatants.

The Russians have been using the Kerch Bridge to resupply Russian forces in the south, opened in 2018, this bridge is a symbolic structure for the Russians after their annexation of Crimea in 2014. The project was fast tracked by Putin himself, there were questions regarding the quality of the construction, this will test the engineering of the bridge. This was central to holding on to the territory of Crimea, I wonder if Ukraine will demolish this bridge once they retake Crimea.

I would hope the Ukrainian forces wait for the Russians to repair the bridge before hitting it again, this will keep their resources tied up. This will also give the Ukrainian military time to generate new offensives to deplete their resources even further. The Russian army is not known for their logistical abilities, so this is expected to further dent their aspirations in the Ukraine invasion.