Ukraine has renewed its attacks on the Kerch Strait crossing which links mainland russia to temporarily occupied Crimea with attempted strikes on the two remaining rail roll-on roll-off (RO-RO) ferries and the Port Kavkaz overnight on March 13-14, 2026, the UK Defense Intelligence reports.
Images show the bridge superstructure of one RO-RO vessel on fire. It is likely the vessels were hit at an anchorage away from the shore.
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Previous Ukrainian attacks have used missiles directed at the vessels in port, destroying another rail RO-RO, the CONRO TRADER in August 2024.
The virtually identical SLAVYANIN and AVANGARD rail RO-RO vessels are used by russia to move rail and vehicle loads carrying explosive stores across the strait and serve as general redundancy for the Crimean bridge.
Russia has operated strict security protocols on the bridge following repeated Ukrainian attacks since October 2022, preventing certain loads and vehicle types from using it. The removal of even a single ferry will almost certainly reduce russia's flexibility in transporting fuel, munitions, and equipment across the Kerch Strait, likely forcing some loads back onto the Crimean bridge.
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