The Russian military is trying to "use every opportunity" to restore structures near the Kerch bridge damaged by storms.
According to Krym.Realii, this was reported on TV by the spokesman of the Ukrainian Navy, Captain 3rd Rank Dmytro Pletenchuk.
"They are present there and are trying to use every opportunity to restore the buildings. Of course, the period of storms in the Black Sea, in particular in the Kerch Strait, is quite long. The stormy weather also makes adjustments to the plans of the Russian occupiers," Pletenchuk was quoted as saying.
According to him, "the Russians are still taking maximum measures to illegally protect the facility, and so far there are no signs of a decrease in their activity." The spokesperson also noted that "they have saturated this facility with modern air defense systems to the maximum extent possible."
Last year, at the end of December, Pletenchuk said that part of the defenses near the Kerch Bridge were out of commission due to storms that would continue in the area for another 2-3 months.
Russia began building a layered defense system for the bridge in the Kerch Strait in May 2024 with the installation of barges in two rows and booms. In the summer, the occupiers began installing parallel anti-drone bridges on both sides, as well as installing tetrapods and metal "hedgehogs" in the sea. In the fall, towers with "Pantsiryas" began to appear.
However, this did not prevent Ukrainian Navy units from successfully attacking Russian surveillance systems located on seized gas platforms in the Black Sea. These gas towers have been under Russian control since 2014.
Meanwhile, the offshore platforms near Ukrainian drilling rigs in the Black Sea seized by Russia have been burning gas continuously for more than two years. Russia uses the platforms for military reconnaissance, having installed electronic equipment there. After recent attacks by Ukrainian military special forces, some of these facilities were brought under control. In particular, smoke columns rise above four of the 14 platforms, with the longest fire burning since June 2022. One of the block conductors, located 50 kilometers east of Zmiinyi Island, has been on fire for three autumns. In June 2022, the occupation authorities of Crimea claimed an attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which allegedly damaged the Tavrida drilling rig, which Russia had taken away from the state-owned company Chernomorneftegaz.
Олеся Ланцман
