Russia threatens the West with a ‘devastating retaliatory strike’ if Crimea is attacked
During a briefing on May 3, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that in the event of an attack on Crimea, particularly on the Crimean Bridge, Moscow is prepared to deliver a retaliatory strike “of devastating impact.” Footage of Zakharova's remarks was published by the news outlet Izvestia.
The Russian Foreign Ministry representative commented on the impending deliveries of F-16 multirole fighters to Ukraine, which could potentially be deployed in operations targeting the Crimean Bridge. Zakharova suggested that such plans were being hatched by Ukraine's Western allies, notably the United Kingdom.
"I would like to warn Washington, London, and Brussels once again that any aggressive actions against Crimea are doomed to fail and will be met with retaliatory strikes of devastating impact," Zakharova declared.
According to her, preparations for an assault on the bridge are being openly carried out by Ukrainian services with the overt support of Western partners. In this context, the Russian Foreign Ministry representative also recalled recent strikes on Russian military sites in occupied Crimea, specifically attacks on the airfield in Dzhankoy utilizing ATACMS long-range missiles supplied to Ukraine by the United States.
"It's hard to believe, but preparations for an attack on it (the Crimean Bridge) are now openly underway with defiant bravado and the absolute, direct, and shameless support of the collective West," Zakharova asserted.
The British Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, has previously stated that if Ukraine were to use British weapons to strike inside Russia's territory, London would not object. He said that Ukraine has the right to use British weapons to target locations within Russia, so that prerogative remains with Kyiv.