"Right now, [the Russian occupiers in Crimea] have five military airfields, but two of them are effectively without planes. That’s a fact," Pletenchuk said.
"Sure, they could relocate the planes to the mainland, but they need the right logistics to supply fuel and other essentials."
Pletenchuk noted that destroying the illegally constructed the Crimean Bridge would complicate logistics for the Russians, adding, "It’s only a matter of time."
"They still have a land corridor, and theoretically, they could reroute logistics there. It would make them more vulnerable to attacks, but that’s never stopped them before," he added.
On Aug. 2, Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR), stated that Ukrainian forces could potentially destroy the Crimean Bridge this year.
Attack on Saky airfield in Crimea
On the night of July 26, the monitoring channel Crimean Wind reported explosions and a fire near the Saky airfield in Crimea, indicating a munitions depot had caught fire.
The Russian Telegram channel Astra, citing sources, reported that Ukraine struck the airfield with ATACMS missiles, destroying a radar station and injuring two Russian occupiers.
Ukraine's General Staff later confirmed that Ukrainian defense forces targeted the Saky airfield in occupied Crimea.
They added that the airfield is used by Russian forces to control airspace over the Black Sea and launch airstrikes against Ukrainian territory.