Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories Iryna Vereshchuk calls on Russian civilians illegally staying in Crimea to leave the peninsula.
"I wonder what many thousands of Russians who have illegally entered our Crimea in recent years are counting on. When the Crimea [Kerch] Bridge falls (it's a matter of time, it's obvious), when the land corridor is cut, when ground fighting begins on the peninsula, what will they do?" - Vereshchuk said on Telegram.
She noted that with the routes cut off and fighting going on around them, thousands of civilians will not be able to leave the peninsula quickly.
"Therefore, I appeal to Russian civilians who are illegally on the peninsula. Staying in Ukrainian Crimea is dangerous for you. Leave. Do not take it lightly," Vereshchuk said.
Earlier, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Defence Forces South, Natalya Humenyuk, said that the Crimea Bridge has very little time left.
In a year, there have been two explosions on the Crimea Bridge. The first one took place on 8 October 2022. The explosion damaged the railway track of the bridge and destroyed several spans of its road part. Russia said that a truck exploded, setting fuel tanks on fire. Russian media reported four deaths. The Russians arrested more than 20 people on charges of complicity in organising the explosion.
The second explosion took place on 17 July. A married couple from Belgorod Region were reportedly killed as they were driving across the bridge at the time of the explosion. Two spans of the bridge were severely damaged.