Ukraine says Russia is ‘sinking ships’ to guard Crimean bridge – here is what we discovered

Russia has “sunk” quite a lot of vessels by the Crimean bridge utilizing what analysts name a “200-year-old strategy” to defend itself in opposition to the rising risk of Ukrainian sea drones.

Satellite photos gathered by Sky News present six darkish objects in a row showing over a seven-day interval by the Crimean bridge, also called Kerch Bridge.

The bridge is the one direct hyperlink between the transport community of Russia and the Crimean peninsula and has come beneath repeated assaults all through the battle.

It follows claims made by Ukraine’s intelligence ministry (GUR) that Russia deliberate to “sink at least six watercraft” by the bridge to create a “protective lane” in entrance of it.

The GUR additionally stated Russia “intended to install barriers between the sunken ferries” to guard the bridge “from damage”, in a Telegram submit final Tuesday.

In satellite tv for pc imagery taken by Planet Labs PBC on 19 August, no objects are seen within the water south of the bridge, however on 21 August two vessels seem.

Two days in a while 23 August one other vessel will be seen on the floor of the water.

However, by 26 August, six objects in the very same positions round 30 metres in size seem in a darker color – which specialists recommend might imply they’ve been sunk and are under the water.

‘Old response to new risk’

Security and defence analyst Professor Michael Clarke stated using “block ships” – vessels sunk in a strategic place to type a bodily barrier – is “an old response to a new threat” of Ukrainian sea drones.

“This is a large area so you’d need to have a series of ships then some sort of barrier in between it, it could be chains or steel nets, to stop anything getting through,” he stated.

However, he added: “The Ukrainians have developed a clever new technology and Russia is responding with a 200-year-old strategy of sinking ships in front of it.”

In phrases of its effectiveness, Prof Clarke stated the defence technique is “probably the best way for Russia to prevent sea drone attacks”.

In July, Ukraine’s home intelligence company (SBU) claimed accountability for the primary time for a sabotage operation that badly broken Kerch Bridge on 8 October final yr.

Read extra:
What are sea drones?
Prigozhin’s ‘dying’ appears to disclose a Russian precept

The SBU additionally informed CNN it carried out an assault on the bridge on 17 July this yr utilizing a sea drone – an unmanned vessel that operates on or under the water’s floor.

Kerch Bridge is strategically vital for Russia because it serves as a vital provide route for its forces after its invasion of Ukraine, sending forces from Crimea to grab elements of southern Ukraine’s Kherson and Zaporizhzhia areas.

Prof Clarke stated using block ships isn’t a completely new defence technique, however it’s the first time we have seen Russia use it since its invasion of Ukraine final February.

The Data and Forensics staff is a multi-skilled unit devoted to offering clear journalism from Sky News. We collect, analyse and visualise knowledge to inform data-driven tales. We mix conventional reporting expertise with superior evaluation of satellite tv for pc photos, social media and different open supply info. Through multimedia storytelling we intention to raised clarify the world whereas additionally exhibiting how our journalism is finished.