According to British Ministry of Defense intelligence, the occupation army of the Russian Federation is placing old barges near the illegally built Crimean Bridge to protect against Ukrainian drone attacks.
Points of attention
- The Russian Federation is protecting the Crimean Bridge using old barges to thwart possible Ukrainian drone attacks, as indicated by British Ministry of Defense intelligence.
- The deployment of barges near the bridge aims to enhance security by reducing the vulnerability of existing structures to storms and attacks by unmanned vehicles.
- Military analyst Roman Svitan highlights the decreasing presence of Russian military vessels in Crimea and the potential transfer of ships to Novorossiysk and even the Caspian Sea, raising concerns about future threats.
- Russian forces have established recharging facilities for submarines with Caliber missiles in Novorossiysk, indicating a shift in naval operations away from Crimea.
- The prospect of rocket launchers being hidden in the Caspian Sea poses new challenges, as military analysts warn of potential missile launches towards Ukraine.
Can barges help Russia protect the Crimean bridge?
Representatives of British intelligence, referring to satellite images, note that at least 8 barges have been spotted by the Russian occupiers on the southern side of the Crimean city.
It is emphasized that their placement began on May 10 of this year and ended on the 22nd of the same month.
These barges were deployed by Russian forces in an attempt to protect the bridge and shipping channel, reducing the angles of approach for Ukrainian unmanned surface vehicles, the British intelligence report explained.
As noted, previously installed structures were damaged by storms, which reduced their effectiveness.
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Where can the ships of the Black Sea Fleet escape from Crimea and Novorossiysk
According to Roman Svitan, a military analyst, pilot-instructor and reserve colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in a comment to Channel 24 journalists, the number of military vessels of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation in the waters near the occupied Crimea is decreasing.
The Russians have definitely installed a recharging facility for the same submarines with Caliber missiles in Novorossiysk. There have already been several launches, they were recharged without going to Sevastopol, that is, the installation is already in Novorossiysk. It is only a matter of time when the ships will also be recharged there, the analyst predicts.
According to him, the presence of warships of the Black Sea Fleet in the port of Novorossiysk is becoming more and more dangerous for them.
Novorossiysk has been waiting for its "baby" for a long time. It is necessary to destroy this port, to look for some mechanisms. And the port, and, by the way, the oil terminal. 50% of Russia's oil industry has already been destroyed by the "sanctions" of Maluk and Budanov, but we need to get to the next 50%, which is located at the oil terminal in Novorossiysk, Svitan emphasizes.
However, the port of Novorossiysk is not the last point for the Russian fleet.
There is a possibility that part of the ships will be transferred to the Caspian Sea through the Volga-Don Canal. They will try to hide the rocket launchers there. This is not the best option for us. If the Calibers are launched from the Caspian Sea, they will reach part of Ukraine, the military analyst assumes.
