The intelligence update published by the British Defense Ministry on 17 October 2022 reports that Russia’s military logistical issues in Ukraine’s south “have likely become more acute following damage to the Kerch Bridge on 08 October 2022.”
The Kerch bridge, connecting occupied Crimea to Russia across the Kerch Strait, is open to “some traffic” and Russia’s repair efforts are ongoing, but a large queue of waiting cargo trucks “remains backed up near the crossing.”
“Russian forces operating in southern Ukraine are likely increasing logistical supply flow via Mariupol in an attempt to compensate for the reduced capacity of the Kerch Bridge. With the Russian presence in Kherson strained, and the supply routes through Crimea degraded, the ground line of communication through Zaporizhzhia Oblast is becoming more important to the sustainability of Russia’s occupation. The city of Melitopol is a junction of supply routes and hosts a major Russian aviation presence,” the report reads.
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