ATACMS could help cut Crimea off Russian supplies – Ukraine’s defense intel chief

Budanov spoke in an interview for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Ukrinform reports.

As noted, General Ben Hodges, the former commander of US Army Europe, has long argued that this would be the key to putting Vladimir Putin on the defensive.

"I share the opinion of General Hodges. So we need to do everything to implement it," said Budanov.

The Ukrainian-made Magura drones, operated by defense intelligence, have already been used to destroy several Russian ships and force them to relocate from Crimea. “They are already trapped near Novorossiysk port,” Budanov said. “We just need to make sure that all the remains of the fleet are pushed back to the territory of the Russian Federation. There have been no combat ships left in the Black Sea for a long time.”

Therefore, the next step should be to stop Russian military supplies to the peninsula. To this, end, Putin's favorite project — the Crimea Bridge – must be destroyed, the article notes.

According to the outlet, Budanov believes that the long-range ATACMS missiles, which Biden approved for Ukraine only recently, can eventually destroy the Crimea Bridge. According to the top spy, those who claim that ATACMS are not powerful enough to to the job are mistaken. "They should read the technical manuals. The only question is their quantities, but principally speaking, these missiles will allow us to fulfill such a mission," he said.

Budanov added that it makes no sense for Russia to use nuclear weapons, as this would lead to great political risks for Vladimir Putin.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, referring to the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, Russia’s total combat losses since the invasion have amounted to an estimated 534,360, including 1,270 in the past day alone.