A storm in the Kerch Strait damaged barriers protecting the illegal Crimean Bridge from Ukrainian maritime drones, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported on Dec. 26 with reference to recent satellite images.
The barriers form part of a network of measures, both on land and sea, set up by Moscow to protect the bridge after multiple successful Ukrainian attacks.
The images, taken on Nov. 8, Dec. 16, and Dec. 24, reveal that Russia has yet to fully repair the barriers, which are constructed from old barges.
The storm also sank two Russian tankers, Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239, in mid-December, according to Russian outlets Mash and Baza.
The number of deployed barriers in the Kerch Strait has halved over the past month, according to a Dec. 10 report by the Center of Journalistic Investigations.
In September, another storm washed ashore protective barriers made of plastic and metal barrels, underscoring their vulnerability to severe weather.
These incidents have further reduced Russia's ability to defend the 19-kilometer-long bridge, an important supply route for Russian forces.
Constructed after Russia’s illegal occupation of Crimea in 2014, the bridge has been a repeated target of Ukrainian strikes, suffering significant damage in October 2022 and July 2023.
It remains a focal point of the conflict and a subject of legal proceedings at the Permanent Court of Arbitration between Ukraine and Russia.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
