Russians' concerns are growing. They are strengthening the defense of the Crimean Bridge

Ukrainians boldly proclaim that there will be more attacks on Crimea in 2024, causing confusion among Russian authorities in Sevastopol. The effectiveness of the recent missile attack in Korea, which destroyed the Russian landing ship "Novocherkassk", indicates that Ukrainians are not taking these matters lightly. Volodymyr Zelensky himself announced that the top priority of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is to isolate Crimea, preferably by destroying the Crimean Bridge.

Open threats and successful military operations prompt Russians to intensify their focus on protecting the bridge, a symbol of the Russian occupation of Ukraine. Satellite image analysis expert Brady Africk pointed out that Russians have recently added more water barriers to the Crimean Bridge, intended to act as a defense against Ukrainian naval drones.

https://twitter.com/bradyafr/status/1741853680431751598

Ukrainian drones unnerve Russians

Russians are well aware of the threat posed by Ukrainian maritime drones, especially the SeaBaby models. Ukrainians used them on July 17, 2023, to successfully damage the Crimean Bridge for the second time. Several of these drones approached the structure, with two reaching their target and hitting the concrete pillars supporting parts of the road and railway bridge, detonating 850 kg of explosives each.

This spectacular action marked the baptism of fire for SeaBaby drones, potentially becoming one of the most critical maritime drones for Ukrainians. A few days ago, a recording of an attack by one of these drones using a rocket launcher placed on board was published, showcasing SeaBaby's adaptability to different roles in the Black Sea.

Ukrainians aim to destroy the Crimean Bridge and the Black Sea Fleet

The continuous development of maritime drones suggests that subsequent models in the new year may possess much greater firepower required to achieve Ukrainians' main goals. This weapon, along with precision missiles, is one of their primary tools in the Black Sea conflict. According to Kyiv's announcements, these tools are meant to harass the Russians relentlessly. In addition to isolating Crimea through attacks on the Crimean Bridge, Ukrainians aim to weaken the Russian Black Sea Fleet as much as possible.

"We want to eliminate all surface ships carrying missiles in the Ukrainian Black Sea. Then we will turn our attention to submarines. The Security Service, Navy, and Air Force are already preparing very unexpected surprises for the occupiers"
stated the head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasily Maluk.

More weapons for attacks on Crimea

In the case of maritime kamikaze drones, Ukrainians rely fully on their own production capabilities, developed since the Russian invasion. Besides SeaBaby, they have many other designs in their pipeline, such as Maruga V5 or Marichka, with a declared range of up to 1,000 kilometers.

Such drones are relatively inexpensive solutions, allowing damage to equipment of much greater value. This is a weapon that is often not worth sacrificing for a single attack. Therefore, Ukrainians use at least several drones at once to have a chance of hitting a target like a Russian ship.

However, for effective operations during attacks on Crimea, in addition to drones, Ukrainians must also utilize precision cruise missiles, such as Storm Shadow. These missiles provide almost 100% effectiveness when attacking key objects. However, their availability depends on supplies from the West. Hence, in his aforementioned announcement of isolating Crimea, Volodymyr Zelensky included a request for the transfer of new Taurus precision missiles.