22 August 2026, 16:45
A line stretching for several kilometers has formed at the exit from Crimea for the third day in a row
Ця стаття також доступна українською
Photo: Associated Press
On the morning of August 22, a line of nearly 400 cars formed in front of the Crimean Bridge on the side of occupied Kerch. Traffic jams have been reported for the third day in a row.
This was reported by Krym. Realia.
According to the publication, about 380 vehicles were waiting to undergo a manual inspection before entering the bridge in the direction of Russia. The estimated wait time was about an hour. From the Taman side, there was no line in front of the manual inspection checkpoint at that time.
Traffic jams at the exit from occupied Crimea have been observed for the third consecutive day. The day before, a significantly longer line was reported—more than 700 vehicles waiting to cross the Crimean Bridge toward Russia.
In recent months, traffic across the bridge has been regularly restricted due to reports of drone threats and possible strikes. This leads to a buildup of vehicles at the approaches to the crossing.
The Kerch Bridge is of strategic importance to Russia, as it is used to connect with occupied Crimea and to supply the peninsula with goods, equipment, and other resources.
Ukraine is conducting a large-scale campaign to isolate occupied Crimea by targeting the peninsula’s logistics infrastructure—the Kerch Bridge, ferry crossings, oil depots, ports, and ships of Russia’s “shadow fleet.”
The attacks are aimed at transforming Crimea from Russia’s military rear into a “logistical island” cut off from supplies.
According to Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, the strategic goal is the complete isolation of Crimea and the creation of intolerable conditions for Russian troops stationed there.
Recently,Valeriy Zaluzhnyy, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom and former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, stated that the Ukrainian military had developed a plan for the remote isolation of the temporarily occupied Crimea as early as 2023. However, at that time, Western partners did not believe in its effectiveness.
