Russian Military Convoy Seen Entering Kerch: According to a report from the Crimean Wind Telegram channel, a convoy of Russian military equipment was seen on the highway just outside of the city of Kerch in Crimea, and in areas close to the partially destroyed Kerch Bridge.
Photographs of the military convoy were shared in the same post, showing vehicles that may have been transporting supplies or equipment. One vehicle also appeared to be transporting a tank.
“The convoy includes trucks for transporting personnel, specialized equipment and tractors carrying guns,” the Telegram post reads.
According to the same statement, the convoy was at one point parked on the side of the road at the exit for Kerch and the Kerch bridge.
“The destination of the Russian military equipment is not known,” the statement continued.
Russia Faces Severe Logistical Issues On Damaged Bridge
The curious movement of military personnel and supplies comes as Russian forces in southern Ukraine face severe logistical problems as a result of the October 8 attack on the Kerch bridge, which connects Russia to occupied Crimea.
In an intelligence update shared on Monday, Britain’s Ministry of Defence noted that supply routes through Crimea have been “degraded” and that the line of communication through Zaporizhzhia Oblast is ”becoming more important to the sustainability of Russia’s occupation.”
In response to the destruction of the Kerch bridge, Russian forces are believed to be increasing the logistical supply flow through Mariupol, in an attempt to bypass the bridge.
Russia will need to continue finding workarounds for the bridge, too. Partially destroyed with two lanes of the vehicle side of the bridge now collapsed into the ocean, the bridge is open only to a small amount of traffic and is heavily monitored by security personnel. Save for another attack from Ukrainian forces, the bridge will remain in partial operation and is only expected to be fully repaired by July of next year.
In the hope of preventing another attack on the bridge, which would sever direct logistical operations between Russia and Crimea almost completely, Russia is still responding to the attack on the Kerch bridge. The Pentagon recently confirmed that Ukraine had intercepted Russian Kalibr missiles fired in response to the attack on the bridge.
У Керчі помічено колону військової техніки. У складі колони – вантажівки для перевезення особового складу, спеціалізована техніка та тягачі, що перевозять знаряддя. Колона припаркована на узбіччі дороги на в’їзді до Керчі, у напрямку руху до міста та мосту https://t.co/V1GdYDOaX0 pic.twitter.com/DkSvA9hEuj
— КРИМський бандерівець (@CrimeaUA1) October 17, 2022
According to a senior official from the United States Department of Defense, three Kalibr-capable Russian vessels had fired missiles at an undisclosed location in Ukraine in response to the Kerch bridge attack, but the missiles were all intercepted by Ukrainian air defense systems.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
