The Security Service of Ukraine announced that it had destroyed 75% of the Kerch Bridge's capacity

The Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Unmanned Systems Forces stated that during the two weeks of the July “MoLoChKa” operation, they, together with the Security Service of Ukraine, reduced the capacity of the Kerch ferry crossing by 75%.

This was reported by Robert Brovdi (“Madyar”), commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Unmanned Systems Forces.

According to him, prior to the start of the operation, transportation between the port of Kavkaz and the port in Crimea was provided by four ferries—the “Lavrentiy,” “Panagia,” “Eysk,” and “Maria”—as well as the vessel SKS One, which was on standby.

As of July 19, following the operation, Brovdi stated:

• the “Eysk” ferry was towed to Kerch following strikes on July 12 and 13, and there are no plans to return it to service;
• the vessel SKS One was destroyed and, according to the SBS, cannot be repaired;
• the “Maria” ferry was also taken out of service after sustaining multiple hits;
• the “Lavrentiy” and “Panagia” have lost their ability to move under their own power and are now used only as barges towed by tugboats.

According to the SBS commander’s assessment, this has reduced the capacity of the Kerch ferry crossing by approximately 75%. He noted that prior to the start of the operation, the four ferries could transport 180–250 vehicles per day, with approximately 80% of the traffic serving the needs of the Russian military.

At present, there is no independent confirmation of the data released by the SBS regarding the condition of all vessels and the actual reduction in the ferry crossing’s capacity.

Recently, on the night of July 19, the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Unmanned Systems Forces struck 13 power substations— eight ofwhich are located in the temporarily occupied Crimea—and also struck four vessels of the Russian “shadow fleet” in the Black Sea.

Андрій Колісніченко