Ukrainian partisans say they are preparing plans to destroy the Kerch bridge and have seemingly not ruled out attempting to assassinate Vladimir Putin and his top officials.

Atesh, which means “Fire” in the Tatar language, was formed in the immediate aftermath of Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and operates mostly in the Crimea and occupied territories.

Its members are made up of Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars, as well as disillusioned Russian soldiers and representatives of ethnic minority groups inside Russia.

They claim to be the largest partisan group operating in both Ukraine and Russia, saying they are represented from Kaliningrad to Siberia, including in the major cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg.

In an extensive interview with the Daily Express, the group discussed their work and their plans for future strikes.

One obvious target is the Kerch Bridge, which connects Russia’s Krasnodar region with Crimea and is a vital logistics corridor for Putin’s army.

Ukraine has attempted to blow it up twice, once in October 2022 and again in July 2023 – on both occasions causing substantial damage.

However, the Russians have repaired the damage, allowing military supplies to once again flow freely to the peninsula.

Atesh told the Daily Express that the bridge remains a key target, saying: “Attacks on the bridge are a strategic goal, and we will facilitate their implementation.”

They added: “Its destruction will undermine the occupiers’ logistics and symbolically demonstrate their vulnerability. It will increase the panic and paranoia of the Russian authorities.”

Senior Ukrainian military intelligence officials have also indicated that they are preparing a third attack and that the bridge’s destruction is “inevitable.”

The group’s main functions include carrying out sabotage missions, intelligence gathering and providing support for the pro-Ukrainian resistance in the occupied territories.

The rebels also carry out their own assassinations and have actively targeted collaborators and representatives of the Russian occupation administrations.

When asked whether Putin and his Kremlin elite were legitimate targets for assassination, the rebels hinted that a plot could already be underway.

“We believe that the people responsible for unleashing the aggression must be held accountable,” they said. “Their fate is decided, it’s only a matter of time.”

The Kremlin is growing increasingly nervous about a possible attempt on Putin’s life, issuing a stark warning recently to any would-be assassins.

Vyacheslav Volodin, the House Speaker of Russia’s parliament, warned at the end of January that any attempt to kill Putin would spark a nuclear war.

Writing on his Telegram channel, he said: “The plot to assassinate Putin, mere discussions of it is a crime, a serious threat to global security, a direct path to nuclear war. All international institutions should view it as a basis for an investigation.”