Bridges Destroyed as Ukraine Vows ‘Blockade’ of Rebel-Held Cities

Both Sides Trade Blame for Bridge Blasts

With the loss of Slovyansk, large numbers of east Ukrainian rebels are falling back to Donetsk, digging in at their de facto capital and preparing to barricade the streets against a military invasion.

The route from Slovyansk to Donetsk isn’t an easy one today, as three bridges on primary routes to Donetsk were blown up today. Both sides are trading blame for the bombings.

The military claimed to have seen rebels blow them up, aiming to slow the military advance, while the rebels say that pro-government “saboteurs” blew them up trying to break the rebels’ supply lines.

Either way, the military insists their strategy is not to launch an immediate invasion of Donetsk or Luhansk, but rather for the military to impose a full-scale “blockade” on those cities until the rebels surrender.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.