Russia fortifies Crimean Bridge amid ongoing Ukrainian conflict

Russians still fear an attack on the Crimean Bridge. Satellite photos show that they are increasing the defense of the crossing.

"Russia continues to increase the number of barges at the Crimean Bridge, which are to serve as a barrier against Ukrainian sea drones," writes Brady Africk, an analyst from the Foreign Policy and Defence Studies Department at the American Enterprise Institute.

According to his analysis, Russians have increased the number of boats in the area to over 30. Previously, Russians had between 10 and 14 ships and boats deployed simultaneously at the bridge.

Right after the June peace summit in Switzerland, Dmytro Pletentchuk, spokesman for the Ukrainian Naval Forces, stated that "The Crimean Bridge is no longer important from a military point of view."

The naval spokesman admitted that current military transports across the bridge are sporadic. "Therefore, it no longer has such tactical and strategic significance. There is no point in destroying the bridge just to improve morale," said Pletentchuk.

"The bridge carries less than one-fourth of the total transport. The rest goes along the ferry crossing, which was recently attacked by us," the spokesman for the Ukrainian Naval Forces reminded.

This surprising statement comes as, just a few weeks earlier, Kyiv was vowing that the crossing connecting occupied Crimea with Russia would be destroyed.