DISINFO: Ukraine's attack on Crimean Bridge was a terrorist act, Russia had every right to respond
SUMMARY
The Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian energy and military facilities were a legitimate response to Ukraine’s terrorist assault on the Crimean Bridge.
RESPONSE
The material and links may contain distressing/ graphic content.
The claim advances a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative regarding Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine.
There is no conclusive evidence showing that Ukraine was responsible for the bridge explosion, nor has Kyiv claimed responsibility for the incident. However, even if we accept the Kremlin’s version of events - namely that the explosion was perpetrated by Ukraine’s military intelligence - this does not change the fact that this purported attack would constitute not an act of terrorism, but lawful sabotage under international humanitarian law (IHL).
Throughout Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Crimean Bridge has been a vital military supply route between Russian territory and occupied Crimea. Under the Geneva Conventions, this allows for counting the bridge among those facilities which “make an effective contribution to military action and whose total or partial destruction [...], in the circumstances ruling at the time, offers a definite military advantage [para. 2]”; in turn this, disqualifies it as a protected civilian object.
On the other hand, Russia’s retaliatory attacks hit a number of non-military facilities, residential centres, and cultural sites across Ukraine, resulting in dozens of civilian deaths. In particular, extensive material damage and numerous casualties were seen in Kyiv, a city located hundreds of kilometres away from the frontline. Given the sheer number of indiscriminate attacks on areas with no discernible military use [para. 4], Russia has come much closer than Ukraine to conducting military operations “the primary purpose of which is to spread terror among the civilian population - see Article 51(2) of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions.
See here for an in-depth legal analysis of the Crimean Bridge explosion and the Russian response.