US Journalist Urging to Blow Up Crimean Bridge Claims He Got Support From Kiev

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US journalist Tom Rogan, who wrote an article urging the Ukrainian government to blow up the recently opened Crimean Bridge, said he had a pleasant conversation with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin after his piece was published and received a promise of support from Kiev.

On his Twitter account, the American journalist said, that the Ukrainian official encouraged Rogan after his provocative article met ill quarter from Russia.

Had a great conversation with @MFA_Ukraine minister Pavlo Klimkin just now. He said the Ukrainian people supported my piece and that Ukraine would help me if Russia tries to send me to the Black Dolphin. Some good banter.

— Tom Rogan (@TomRtweets) 17 мая 2018 г.

The Ukrainian authorities have not confirmed whether such a conversation took place.

It emerged later, that Rogan was tricked by the famous Russian pranksters Alexei Stolyarov and Vladimir Krasnov, also known as Lexus and Vovan. Previously they played hoaxes on many other famous people, including Turkish President Recep Erdogan, Secretary General of the NATO Jens Stoltenberg, US UN envoy Nikki Haley, and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin.

READ MORE: OPCW Confirms Russian Pranksters Tricked Director-General During Recent Call

Addressing the issue, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin told Sputnik, that Moscow would be prepared for the possible challenges.

"I personally do not have any information [about Ukraine's possible provocations], but, of course, we will take all measures to prevent even the most provocative actions by Ukraine," Karasin said when asked whether he was aware of Kiev's possible provocations against the Crimean bridge.

The scandal began to unfold, when the Washington Examiner newspaper released Rogan's opinion piece suggesting that Ukraine had the capability to at least temporarily disrupt traffic on the recently-inaugurated Crimean Bridge, which links mainland Russia with the Black Sea peninsula. Russia's Investigative Committee has launched a case against the journalist.

Rogan said in another article for the Washington Examiner, published Thursday, that he did not regret his opinion piece on the Crimean Bridge.

"Do I regret my piece? No, except for the fact that I could have been a little clearer in arguing that this action could (and of course ought to be) carried out with zero casualties," the journalist said.

READ MORE: Moscow Responds to Washington's Remarks on Crimean Bridge Opening

The bridge, the longest in Russia at 11.8 miles, connects Krasnodar Territory to the Crimean Peninsula, the region claimed by Kiev. In 2014, Crimean residents voted to rejoin Russia in a referendum, which the Ukrainian authorities have refused to recognize.

The bridge's opening was initially slated for December 2018, but the construction was finished ahead of schedule.