Satellite images capture Russia’s scramble to shield a key bridge from Ukraine’s exploding naval drones and other threats
A close-up view of barriers and ship traffic near the Kerch Bridge on September 28.
New satellite imagery shows how Russia has stepped up its efforts to protect a key bridge from Ukrainian attacks, including its exploding naval drones.
The images, captured last weekend by Maxar Technologies and obtained by B-17, reveal a growing build-up of defenses around the Kerch Bridge, which connects Russia with the occupied Crimean peninsula.
The 12-mile-long bridge was once an important supply route for the Russian military, but it is primarily a symbol of Russia’s grip on Crimea. It has fallen victim to several high-profile Ukrainian attacks, including a naval drone strike.
Russia started placing barges on the southern side of the bridge in early May to defend the structure and the shipping channel from future Ukrainian naval drone attacks. Previously installed barriers had been damaged by storms, according to Western intelligence.
By June, the protective measures had increased to include additional barges and floating boom defenses running parallel to the bridge. But the new images captured on Saturday reveal a significant increase in the number of barges protecting the bridge.
An overview of barriers near the Kerch Bridge on September 28.
A close-up view of barriers and ship traffic near the Kerch Bridge on September 28.
Ukraine has used its fleet of domestically produced naval drones to wreak havoc on Russian warships and other Black Sea Fleet assets. The threat has prompted Moscow to add defenses like the ones at the Kerch Bridge to the key ports of Sevastopol and Novorossiysk.
Brady Africk, an open-source-intelligence analyst and associate at the American Enterprise Institute think tank, first pointed out the added barrier defenses in a Sunday post on X and noted the drastic change between early May and late September.
The new barriers are not the only protective measures Russia has taken to shield the bridge. Satellite images captured on Saturday show two Pantsir air-defense systems near the structure.
Maxar said the towers for these systems were being built between August 18 and 23. Their construction suggests Russia is not just concerned about maritime threats to the bridge from below. It also wants to protect the structure from above.
A Pantsir air-defense system on a tower near the Kerch Bridge on September 28.
A second Pantsir air-defense system on a tower near the Kerch Bridge on September 28.
The bridge was previously hit by a truck bomb. Russia has claimed Ukraine targeted the bridge with US-provided ballistic missiles but said the attack was unsuccessful. Kyiv has also armed its naval drones with missiles and rockets, extending the threat beyond the water’s surface, creating further challenges.
Moscow began construction on the Kerch Bridge after it illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. The bridge is a prized accomplishment of Russian President Vladimir Putin and is a symbol of the Kremlin’s desire to maintain its occupation of Crimea forever.
Ukraine previously vowed to destroy the bridge because of its role as a key supply and logistics route to support Russian military activities in Crimea after the 2022 invasion, and Kyiv has shown its desire through its multiple attacks on the site.
However, taking out the bridge now would be less militarily effective and more symbolic because Russia relies on it less frequently to support its troops in Crimea than it did earlier in the war.
A Ukrainian Navy spokesperson said in June that most of the cargo is transported by ferry. Kyiv has also targeted these operations.
