UK intelligence: Moscow struggles to protect important symbol of Crimea's occupation

The Kerch Strait is a bottleneck for military logistics support to Russian forces in occupied areas of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts. Russia is heavily reliant on the Crimean bridge and ferries to cross the Straits.

“Russia is employing a range of passive defences such as smoke generators and underwater barriers, alongside active defence measures such as air defence systems, to strengthen the survivability of water crossings and minimise damage from future attacks,” the British Defence Ministry said in the daily intelligence review, Caliber.Az reports.

The bridge's importance for both logistics and symbolism of Russian occupation mandates these extensive protection measures.

“As of 29 August 2023, imagery confirms Russia has created an underwater barrier of submerged ships and containment booms to deter against Uncrewed Surface Vehicle [USV] attacks against the Crimean Bridge,” the report said.

According to the ministry, 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 17 July 2023.

Previously, in September 2022, the Russian Navy briefly trialled radar decoys on barges for several days, likely to deter radar-seeking missiles, the ministry added.

Other countermeasures to protect the bridge include the use of TDA-3 truck-mounted smoke generators, with an exercise conducted on 24 May 2023. This smoke was activated to deter incoming air threats on 12 August 2023, the report noted.