Crimean Bridge, 17 July 2023. Photo: REUTERS
Russian troops are utilizing land routes in occupied eastern Ukraine to supply the front line. This trend has emerged following Ukrainian attacks on the illegally constructed Crimean (Kerch) bridge, as reported by The Independent.
Citing data from Ukraine’s largest private intelligence agency, Molfar, the newspaper highlights that an analysis of satellite images indicates minimal traffic on the Crimean bridge. Consequently, it can no longer be deemed an effective military target for ammunition-strapped Ukrainian troops.
The images, captured by satellite specialists Maxar and analyzed by Molfar before being forwarded to The Independent, reveal a dearth of military freight trains traversing the bridge’s railway line for the past three months.
During this timeframe, only one Russian freight train was documented on February 29, transporting approximately 55 wagons of fuel.
According to the analysis, Russia has significantly curtailed the bridge’s usage subsequent to Ukraine’s attack on July 17, 2023, which resulted in the detonation of a section of the road and railway track.
In July 2023, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asserted that the Crimean Bridge was a legitimate target for Ukraine, as the occupiers employed it for weapon transportation. He emphasized the necessity to «neutralize» this target.