The Armed Forces of Ukraine will continue striking bridges connecting Crimea with mainland Russia. However, the Russian Armed Forces do not use such an effective tactic to disrupt Ukrainian logistics.
On Sunday, the Armed Forces of Ukraine launched Storm Shadow missiles (or their French analogue, the SCALP cruise missile) to strike two bridges — the Chongarsky (yet again) and the Genichesk ones. These two bridges connect Crimea with mainland Russia. The attack took place at a time when the Crimean bridge was operating in reverse mode after the July 17 terrorist attack.
Acting Governor of the Kherson region Vladimir Saldo said that the gas pipeline from the Strelkovskoye field to Genichesk was damaged as a result of the attack on the Genichesk bridge. More than 20,000 residents were left without gas supplies. According to Saldo, the Armed Forces of Ukraine deliberately staged another provocation before the launch of the railway traffic on the Genichesk-Dzhankoy route.
Crimean Governor Sergei Aksyonov confirmed that damage was also caused to the roadbed of the automotive Chongarsky bridge. Car traffic was redirected through Armyansk and Krasnoperekopsk checkpoints.
Blogger Yuriy Podolyaka analysed the consequences of the attack on the Chongarsky bridge. A pontoon bridge was prepared to arrange traffic "literally within an hour," he noted. This, the Russian troops will not be cut off from military supplies. He also pointed out that one rocket deviated from the course and did not hit the bridge. This detail speaks of the ability of Russian electronic warfare systems to divert missiles from the trajectory.
This is encouraging, of course, but it just so happens that the Kyiv regime succeeds in achieving its goals. The logistics of the region has been disrupted, the local population has been frightened.
Ukrainian Telegram channel Military Analytics said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine wanted to isolate Crimea and then "liberate” it, similarly to Kherson. However, in order to implement this plan, Ukraine should launch dozens of missiles and hold successful attacks at the front.
The Kyiv regime has opted for terrorist attacks to ensure "something burns there in Russia every day."
Kyiv will ask the West for aircraft capable of carrying missiles, remote and long-range weapons, including naval drones and UAVs. Germany reputedly intends to transfer Taurus long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine. American ATACMS missiles are coming next.
Despite the destruction of Ukrainian airfields in Khmelnitsky and Rivne regions, Ukraine has demonstrated its ability to live to fight another day. Therefore, the obliteration of Su-24 aircraft and their airfields should become a top priority for the Russian forces.
However, the bridges across the Dnieper River remain intact.
It is not clear why the Russian Armed Forces do not use this successful tactic. Russia could easily destroy bridges across the Dnieper to disrupt logistics of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and this would decide the outcome of the special operation in Russia's favour.
Konstantin Sivkov, a member of the Russian Academy of Rocket and Artillery Sciences, believes that the UFAB-1500 guided bomb with a gliding range of 40 km is capable of destroying any bridge. According to him, the decision not to bomb Ukrainian bridges is a political decision of the Kremlin.