Since May, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have carried out around 200 strikes on petrol tankers and lorries on the ‘land bridge’ to Crimea
Robert Brovdy, Commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, has announced his intention to isolate Crimea in the near future. Against this backdrop, Ukrainian units are stepping up strikes on the ‘Novorossiya’ federal highway, which connects Rostov-on-Don with occupied Crimea via Mariupol and Melitopol.
According to the Financial Times, since May, at least 375 strikes on lorries, petrol tankers and other vehicles have been recorded in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. French open-source analyst Clément Molin noted that more than half of these attacks took place on the ‘Novorossiya’ highway.
The intensity of the strikes is increasing. Molin had previously reported approximately 125 trucks hit on this route over a four-week period in May. In June, one of the main targets became the bridges between the Kherson region and Crimea, which form the final section of the so-called land corridor to the peninsula.
Satellite images from Planet Labs dated 12 June show that in the Chongar area, freight transport has begun to be diverted to a pontoon bridge. There is no traffic on the other bridge. According to the publication, traffic was halted following several strikes over the past week and a half.
On 15 June, Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-appointed head of the occupied part of the Kherson region, reported damage to two bridges following a night-time drone attack and the suspension of traffic.
The report notes that Ukraine is actively expanding its arsenal of drones. Medium-range drones, capable of striking targets at distances of up to 200 kilometres, have played a key role in recent months.
Among them are the American Hornet drones, equipped with an AI-powered guidance system. They are mainly used to strike petrol tankers and other vehicles on the ‘Novorossiya’ route.
Ukrainian FP-2 and ‘Behemoth’ drones, which have a more powerful warhead, are used to attack depots and bridges connecting the mainland with Crimea. Some of these drones use Starlink terminals.
The Financial Times reports that the new tactics of the Ukrainian forces have led to a fuel crisis in occupied Crimea and disrupted supply routes for Russian troops.
Rob Lee, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Foreign Policy Research, noted that fewer munitions and fuel are reaching the front line. According to him, Russian drone units are receiving fewer drones, and artillery crews have fewer shells. He added that in the absence of an effective response from Moscow, this could strengthen Kyiv’s position in future negotiations.
