A storm damaged the barriers near the Kerch Bridge
A storm tore apart the barrier of barges that Russian occupiers had set up near the Kerch Bridge to protect against Ukrainian maritime drones. Satellite images revealed a gap in the barrier—one of the 18 barges is missing. Similar incidents have occurred before, notably in January of this year and in April 2025.
The storm damaged the barrier of barges near the Kerch Bridge, which connects occupied Crimea with Russian territory. A satellite image shows a gap in the barrier. According to the monitoring group, one of the 18 barges that formed the protective barrier is missing.
The barrier consists of barges connected to each other by cables. Russian occupiers deployed them near the bridge to hinder attacks by Ukrainian maritime drones. Such structures are intended to create an additional obstacle at the approaches to the bridge. However, this is not the first time that inclement weather has compromised the integrity of this defense.
Similar incidents have occurred before
Damage to the barrier near the Kerch Bridge was also recorded in January of this year and in April 2025. The current incident has once again drawn attention to the condition of the protective structures that the Russians have installed around the bridge. At the same time, the satellite image shows a breach in the barrier, but by itself does not allow for a precise determination of where the barge went or whether other structural elements were damaged.
The Kerch Bridge is of vital importance to Russia as a transport link to occupied Crimea. Following Ukrainian attacks, the Russian side has been strengthening its defenses, including the installation of barriers against maritime drones. The report does not specify to what extent the storm affected the bridge’s overall defense system. This information comes from the monitoring group of the Telegram channel “Crimean Wind.”
Russian military personnel are setting up firing positions along the coast of the Kerch Strait in the temporarily occupied Crimea. They plan to use these positions to repel attacks by drones and maritime drones, as well as to provide cover for the Kerch Bridge and the “Zaliv” shipyard.
A new fuel oil spill has been detected in the Kerch Strait from the sunken Russian tankers “Volgoneft-212” and “Volgoneft-239.” The pollution came to light after the Russian government announced that the pumping of fuel oil from the ships had been completed. Satellite images confirm the new leak.
