(MELITOPOL, ZAPORIZHZHIA OBLAST) – Ukrainian Special Operations Forces have established fire control over the Russian land corridor to occupied Crimea, significantly complicating the enemy’s logistics.
Unmanned aerial vehicle operators from the 3rd Regiment of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have taken aerial control over part of the Russian forces’ land route to occupied Crimea. This was reported with reference to the 3rd Separate Special Purpose Regiment named after Prince Sviatoslav the Brave.
Drones from the Special Operations Forces unit are destroying equipment and disrupting the enemy’s logistical routes on the Melitopol to Chongar route. As a result, logistics regarding the supply of the Russian army and fuel to the peninsula have already been complicated, the regiment’s press service stated. The regiment also published a corresponding video.
The Russian command introduced new rules for transporting military cargo on the R-280 highway following significant losses from Ukrainian drone strikes.
In a separate development, occupation authorities have effectively closed the “land corridor” to Crimea and key highways in the Luhansk region. Petro Andriushchenko, head of the Centre for the Study of Occupation, reported on social media on Saturday that the occupiers have banned passenger transport on a series of strategic routes. These include the R-280 “Novorossiya” highway and the R-150 route.
“From 4:00 am, the occupation authorities banned any passenger transport on a number of strategic routes. The restrictions affected both regular bus services and private transport,” Andriushchenko stated.
He specified that the measures concern two main transport arteries of the occupied territories. The first is the R-280 “Novorossiya” route, running from Rostov-on-Don through Mariupol and Melitopol to Simferopol, which the Russians refer to as their “land corridor” to Crimea. The second is the R-150 route, connecting Belgorod, Starobilsk, Luhansk, Donetsk and Mariupol, which links Russia with the occupied areas of eastern Ukraine.
“The official explanation is traditional: ‘concern for civilian safety.’ But the real reason appears far more prosaic: Ukrainian drones are increasingly active against enemy military logistics deep in the rear,” Andriushchenko added.
He noted that the Russians are attempting to conceal the consequences of Ukrainian strikes. “Bus passengers are hundreds of witnesses who can photograph destroyed equipment, burning warehouses and columns that have come under attack. Secondly, the occupiers are freeing up roads for military transport. Due to regular strikes on trucks carrying fuel and ammunition, Russian logistics are operating with great difficulty, so civilian transport is simply being removed from the routes. Thirdly, the very closure of strategic highways indicates serious security problems in the rear. If a state is forced to restrict movement on its own key motorways, this means it cannot guarantee control over the situation,” Andriushchenko explained.
According to him, the consequences for residents of the occupied territories will be significant. Many will find it harder to leave, visit relatives or use routes through Russian territory, which often remained the only possibility for movement.
“The occupation authorities are increasingly turning the captured territories into a closed military zone, where the interests of the army finally prevail over the needs of the civilian population. It is indicative that just a few years ago, Russian propaganda called precisely these roads a symbol of ‘reliable connection’ and ‘integration of new regions’,” Andriushchenko concluded.
Earlier, the partisan movement ATESH reported, citing its agent in one of the units of the Russian “Dnipro” troop grouping, that the Russian command had introduced new rules for transporting military cargo on the R-280 “Novorossiya” highway following significant losses from Ukrainian drone strikes.
According to the movement, the new orders stipulate the movement of convoys mainly at night or in adverse weather conditions, a speed of at least 120 kilometres per hour, and the presence in each vehicle of a third serviceman with a drone detector. Additionally, the occupiers have begun using civilian trucks more actively to disguise military transport.
ATESH noted that to escort convoys, observers with drone detectors are being drawn directly from forward positions. Scarce electronic warfare equipment is also being transferred there, weakening the protection of units on the front line from Ukrainian drones.
According to the movement’s agent, Russian military personnel themselves criticise such decisions, as most Ukrainian drones use Starlink satellite communications, which are resistant to the mobile electronic warfare means available to Russia. ATESH asserts that all collected information has already been transmitted to the Ukrainian Defence Forces. The footage was released by the press service of the 3rd Separate Special Purpose Regiment named after Prince Sviatoslav the Brave.