Märk said that speculation is rife concerning the Kerch Bridge explosion, and this seems to suit the Ukrainian side's interests. "The incident undoubtedly has military, economic and political effects. It complicates supplying Russia's southern front as the rail link has been disrupted. Moving munitions, fuel and heavy machinery has been made more difficult," he said.

Crimea won't be isolated completely as the ferry link from before the bridge was built has been reopened. Politically, we are dealing with a symbol of Russian imperial policy, damage to which constitutes a reputation hit for the Russian leadership.

"I would not like to speculate too much as I do not consider myself an explosives expert, while a quick look suggests it was not a HIMARS or drone attack, with a car bomb the prime suspect instead. This in turn opens the door to other speculations," Märk suggested.

The colonel said that battles have not subsided in the last week. "Looking at the big picture, Ukraine is putting pressure on the northern and southern fronts, and while we've not seen major gains, waging a war is not a linear process. As Ukraine has retaken quite a bit of territory, logistics needs to catch up and forces have to be reorganized."

"Ukraine has been smart and systematic when preparing offensive activities. At the same time, Russia continues to attempt an attack on Bakhmut," Märk said.

Russia is trying to compensate falling short on the front by attacking civilian infrastructure and residential districts, Märk remarked. "To demonstrate that they're trying to retake some of the initiative and can still terrorize the population. That said, the real initiative and momentum, to use the military term, are clearly Ukraine's, and they are doing a brilliant job of maintaining it."

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