Following successful Ukrainian attacks on the port of Caucasus in the Kerch Strait, Russia has been forced to return to transporting fuel via the Crimean bridge. This is written in the daily intelligence report of the British Ministry of Defence.
As the intelligence service wrote, on July 23 Ukraine damaged a railway ferry in the port of Kavkaz, and this strike "will almost certainly cause additional logistical problems for Russia in supplying its occupation forces in southern Ukraine and regional exports of liquefied petroleum gas." "
The "Slavyanin" railway ferry damaged in the latest strike is the largest of three that travel in the Kerch Strait between Russian territory and annexed Crimea, the report said.
Military intelligence notes that "Slavyanin" remains the only rail ferry on this route and is back in service after the previous two were damaged in Ukrainian strikes on 29 May. "Slavic" was transporting liquefied petroleum gas, according to the intelligence.
"Even the temporary suspension of rail ferries makes it difficult to transport fuel, weapons and equipment across the Kerch Strait and increases their cost," British intelligence wrote. "Following these attacks, Russia was likely forced to review its safety standards and take the risk of transporting fuel by rail across the Crimean bridge."
Latest Defense Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 25 July 2024.
Find out more about Defense Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/xsWo78hMKA#StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com /nVOfYSmwa4— Ministry of Defense 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) July 25, 2024
The summary says Russia has tried to avoid similar practices since the bridge was damaged in October 2022 by a car explosion near a passing fuel train.
On Tuesday, Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratiev announced an attack by Ukrainian drones on a ferry in the port of Kavkaz in the Temryuk region. According to him, one person died, there are also injured.