Return of Mariupol and "severe fatigue" of Crimean bridge can create a trap for Russian forces in Kherson and Crimea - General Hodges

He expressed this opinion on Espresso.

"I think most of the drones we've seen over the last few days have been launched from airfields in Crimea. So the sooner Ukrainian forces can push the Russians out of Crimea, the better. The enemy will no longer have the opportunity to use the peninsula as a launch pad."  - commented the lieutenant general.

As Ben Hodges remarked about the Crimean Bridge, it was a major blow, whoever did it and however it was done.

 "I think the Ukrainian General Staff continues to do a good job without revealing everything they do, because it makes no sense to publicize Ukraine's capabilities. Therefore, the generals and the government are doing the right thing by not talking about it. Regardless of all this, we see how vulnerable the Russian  zone. Because when this bridge is damaged again, or the Russians are unable to adequately repair it, and when the Ukrainian troops return Mariupol, the enemy will no longer have a land corridor to their territory, and Russian forces in Kherson and Crimea may find themselves in a trap.  A potentially great victory for Ukraine in that region will become possible in a few months thanks to the situation with the Crimean bridge," Hodges explained.