"Of course it was our technology," the US official was quoted by Hersh as saying. "The drone was remotely guided and half submerged—like a torpedo."
When Hersh asked if there was any thought before the bridge attacks about the possibility of Russia’s retaliation, the official responded with "What will Putin do? We don’t think that far. Our national strategy is that Zelensky can do whatever he wants to do. There’s no adult supervision."
On October 8, 2022, a car detonated on the Crimean Bridge, which connects the Crimean Peninsula with Russia's mainland. Five people, including the driver of the truck, were killed. The bridge itself was seriously damaged.
On July 17, a submersible drone carried out another attack on the Crimean Bridge, killing a woman and a man and wounding their teenage daughter.
Ukraine Shipped Drugs and Russian Oil to Europe Under Cover of Grain Deal
In addition, the journalist reported that Ukraine shipped drugs and Russian oil under the cover of the UN-mediated Black Sea Grain Deal, an accord that was meant to bolster global food security.
"Odessa’s exports included illegal stuff like drugs and the oil that Ukraine was getting from Russia," according to the US official quoted by Hersh.
Russia refused to extend the Black Sea deal last week, following its long-time criticism of the UN's failure to facilitate its own grain and fertilizer exports as was required under the agreement.
The decision also came following the July 17 attack on the Crimean bridge with marine surface drones, which killed a couple who were driving across when the blast occurred and wounded their teen daughter.
US, Ukraine No Longer Project Counteroffensive Success, Russia Has Upper Hand
According to the correspondent, the US and Ukrainian military now abstain from making forecasts regarding future success in the counteroffensive because Russia has a clear advantage on the battlefield.
"The American and Ukrainian military are no longer making any predictions," the US official was quoted by Hersh as saying. "The Ukrainian army has not gotten past the first of three Russian defense lines. Every mine the Ukrainians dig up is replenished at night by the Russians."
The reality, the interlocutor clarified, "is that the balance of power in the war is settled. Putin has what he wants."
Ukraine is not capable of returning Crimea, Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk and the Zaporozhye Region, the official stressed, while Volodymyr Zelensky has "no plan, except to hang on," the interviewee observed.
Ukraine launched a counteroffensive in early June, trying to break through the defense lines of the Russian armed forces in the Donetsk and Zaporozhye regions. Their attempts have been unsuccessful and resulted in heavy losses in armored equipment and manpower of Kiev's forces, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.