The Kerch Strait is a bottleneck for military logistics support to russian forces in occupied areas of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. Russia is heavily reliant on the Crimean bridge and ferries to cross the Straits, the UK Defense Intelligence reports.
Russia is employing a range of passive defenses such as smoke generators and underwater barriers, alongside active defense measures such as air defense systems, to strengthen the survivability of water crossings and minimise damage from future attacks. The bridge’s importance for both logistics and symbolism of russian occupation mandates these extensive protection measures.
Read more: The UK Defense Intelligence Explained Smoke on Crimean Bridge on May 24
As of August 29, 2023, imagery confirms russia has created an underwater barrier of submerged ships and containment booms to deter against unmanned surface vehicle (USV) attacks against the Crimean Bridge. At the southern part of the bridge, this includes several vessels 160 metres apart. These are located at the same place as the Ukrainian Sea Baby USV attacks on July 17, 2023.
Previously, in September 2022, the russian Navy briefly trialled radar decoys on barges for several days, likely to deter radar seeking missiles. Other countermeasures to protect the bridge include the use of TDA-3 truck-mounted smoke generators, with an exercise conducted on May 24 2023. This smoke was activated to deter incoming air threats on August 12, 2023.
Read more: The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine: the Occupiers Are Flooding Ferries to Protect the Illegal Kerch Bridge
