Occupants build railroad armor for Crimea: how Russia protects military logistics

The aggressor country Russia is building a new railroad connection between the occupied Crimea and the southern territories of Ukraine for military purposes and as an alternative to the Kerch Bridge. To protect the railroad from Ukrainian drones, the occupiers are using fishing nets.

This was reported by the Crimean Tatar Resource Center.

Eskender Bariiev, Chairman of the Board of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center and member of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, spoke in an interview about the real goals of building a new railway connection between the temporarily occupied Crimea and the mainland territories of southern Ukraine, which Russia calls "Novorossiya".

Bariiev emphasized that the so-called railroad corridor performs not only an economic function, but is primarily used for military logistics. The occupation authorities are trying to arrange the supply of military equipment, ammunition and personnel via land, in particular in the direction of the temporarily occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Donetsk regions.

This route, he said, significantly reduces dependence on the Kerch Bridge, which has been repeatedly damaged by Ukrainian attacks.

If the Kerch Bridge is destroyed, how will Russia connect with the occupied Crimea? That is why rail and road connections by land are becoming critically important for them," Bariiev explained.

He noted that the occupiers are already using protective structures for the railway infrastructure - in particular, they are stretching fishing nets that are supposed to stop or shoot down Ukrainian drones. According to him, such methods are already being used to protect freight cars, and the Russians are constantly improving these systems in an effort to minimize the risks of vulnerability of railroad traffic.

Bariyev emphasized that the construction of the new railway is not only a transportation issue, but an element of Russia's large-scale strategy to strengthen control over the occupied territories and create conditions for their integration into the logistics and economic system of Russia.

In early June, the Security Service of Ukraine successfully attacked the Crimean bridge for the third time. Ukrainian agents mined the pillars of this illegal facility in advance, and on June 3 at 4:44 a.m., the first explosive device was detonated without civilian casualties.

According to experts, the underwater supports of the pylons were seriously damaged at the bottom level, caused by 1,100 kg of TNT equivalent explosives. As a result of the attack, the bridge is in a state of emergency.

Meanwhile, in Crimea, guerrillas recorded unusual activity near the former underground submarine base in Balaklava - the entrance to the facility is open, the territory is cleared, which may indicate preparations for the reuse of the strategic facility.

Анна Бальчінос