(KYIV) – Ukraine has launched a sustained campaign of mid range drone strikes that is systematically strangling Russian supply lines to occupied Crimea, destroying bridges, fuel depots and ammunition stockpiles while leaving the peninsula’s two million residents queuing for 20 litre rations of petrol.
The Melitopol-Chonhar road bridge, a narrow crossing connecting the occupied mainland to the peninsula, was struck by multiple Firepoint 2 drones in a coordinated attack. Ukraine’s military released a compilation video showing the launch of four drones, with at least two striking each side of the bridge to render it impassable for cars and heavy vehicles.
“Ukraine previously tried destroying these bridges with Storm Shadow cruise missiles, but the Storm Shadows would just punch through the bridge, and the bridge didn’t come down. In addition, you can see Russia just constructed a pontoon bridge, and Ukraine wasn’t going to dedicate a Storm Shadow to destroying a pontoon bridge,” explained Jake Broe, a commentator analysing the footage. “But the math of war has changed in the last year, and Ukraine is willing to dedicate Firepoint 2 drones to making sure this bridge is no longer operable.”
The loss of the Chonhar crossing forces Russian military traffic to divert through more of the Kherson region, bringing vehicles closer to the front line and within easier reach of Ukrainian strike drones. The Kerch Bridge, the Russian dictator’s signature infrastructure project, remains standing but is subject to repeated attack attempts.
“This is Romanoff Lights, a Russian military blogger, claiming last morning the enemy attempted to launch an R 360 Neptune anti ship missile at the Crimean bridge. Russian air defences successfully countered the attack,” Broe reported, adding that Ukraine likely lacks the current arsenal to bring down the structure but may attempt saturation strikes with multiple drones.
The drone campaign has extended far beyond Crimea. Ukraine struck an oil storage depot near Novorossiysk, a major port city housing both a naval base and an oil export terminal. The depot, located on the far side of a mountain ridge from the terminal itself, was hit with drone strikes. Satellite imagery is expected to confirm the extent of the damage.
An ammunition depot in Belgorod, across the border from Kharkiv, was also destroyed in a strike that produced a massive secondary explosion. In the Bryansk region, a drone operator spotted a locomotive on the tracks and struck the front engine, bringing it to a halt.
“Ukraine is now launching more than 100 long range drones into Russian territory,” Broe stated. “We’re only seeing and hearing about a fraction of these strikes. We’re really only hearing about the big stuff. Anything that involves large explosions next to populated areas where a Russian is careless enough to take a video and then upload it on the internet.”
Russian military bloggers have expressed growing alarm. One blogger, Golakov, voiced fears that Ukrainian drones would next target the M4 highway, the main transport artery linking Moscow to Rostov on Don and the entire southern front. The road is within approximately 200 kilometres of Ukrainian positions near Sloviansk.
“Russia needs this highway. Like there’s not a lot of good alternatives going to Volgograd. This is pretty much dead space in between these two freeways,” Broe said. “Ukraine needs to start producing enough of these mid range Hornet drones or whatever they’re using.”
In a sign of logistical desperation, Russian occupation authorities have reportedly restricted civilian bus and private car movements on main arteries through occupied territories. Simultaneously, a pro Russian Telegram channel, The Crimean Wind, claimed that occupation forces are planning to use civilian vehicles, including bread trucks and mail delivery vans, to transport fuel and military material.
“So, what are the Ukrainians supposed to do when they’re publicly hearing that civilians cannot use the roads, but they see mail delivery vans and bread trucks?” Broe asked. “I think Ukraine is just going after everything. They’ve given the civilian population notice. Stay off the roads, especially with larger vehicles. Anything that looks like it can transport troops or transport fuel or resources for the Russian military, it’s going to get slammed.”
The fuel crisis in Crimea has reached acute levels. Residents of Yalta are reportedly not driving their cars because there is no petrol for sale anywhere on the peninsula. Long queues form at petrol stations for 20 litre rations of fuel. Holidaymakers who drove to Crimea now find themselves unable to obtain fuel for the return journey, with some reportedly attempting to push their vehicles towards the Kerch Bridge.
“As far as for two million people in all their private vehicles, Crimea’s done. I don’t know how this is ever going to get better or improve,” Broe assessed.
A video posted by a Crimean resident showed the city of Yalta largely empty of traffic. “Everyone on the peninsula knows there’s no gasoline for sale anywhere so nobody is driving,” Broe said.
Ukraine also struck five commercial cargo ships in the Sea of Azov, declaring the occupied territories a no go zone for civilian shipping companies. The Zircon cargo ship was hit by a Firepoint drone and is now adrift in the Sea of Azov after its crew abandoned the vessel.
“If you’re bringing material in, it’s assuming you’re smuggling in material to benefit the Russian military. And if you’re exporting, then you’re taking away stolen Ukrainian grain,” Broe said.
The 15th Naval Arsenal on the Baltic Sea near St. Petersburg was struck by Ukrainian drones, with satellite imagery showing hazy conditions from lingering smoke. Hardened structures at the facility were penetrated. The strike occurred during the week of the Russian dictator’s international economic forum, with drones observed flying over the city without triggering air raid sirens.
“This is the new normal for the residents of St. Petersburg,” Broe noted.
An oil depot in Labinsk, Krasnodar region, has been burning for three days. The Russian military blogger Mine Division reported that the fire covers 5,000 square metres and supplies the entire region.
“The oil depot in Labinsk is currently on fire. It supplies the Krasnodar region. The fire covers 5,000 square metres. I think there won’t be anything left of the oil depots by fall. They’re writing about Crimea saying there’s no fuel. The same fate,” the blogger wrote.
Russian military bloggers are also reporting catastrophic casualty rates and breakdowns in logistics. One Z blogger described the situation with battlefield casualties as completely dysfunctional.
“The situation with the bodies is completely effed up right now. Even without the bodies, I could secretly film the road we use to bring people in. It’s a nightmare,” the blogger stated. “Recently, they sent the deputy political officer’s clerk to a combat position as punishment for a mistake. He sat down and started crying because of the number of corpses.”
The blogger added: “The activity is increasing every single day. At this point, nobody even knows how evacuation teams are supposed to recover the dead and wounded anymore.”
In a significant political development, the Russian dictator dispatched oligarch Roman Abramovich on an 11 hour train journey to Kyiv to deliver a private message to President Zelenskyy and return with a response. Zelenskyy confirmed the meeting in a Sky News interview.
“He brought a message directly to me and wanted to take one back,” Zelenskyy said. “I said, ‘We are not leaving. We will not hand you victory that way.'”
Broe assessed that the use of Abramovich, rather than the American mediated channels involving Witkoff and Kushner, signalled the Russian dictator’s distrust of the United States led peace process.
“If Putin is sending his own guy that he trusts to go talk to Zelenskyy, then he doesn’t actually take the peace talks with Kushner and Witkoff serious. Like they’re idiots. Like Witkoff is an idiot and even Putin knows it and he doesn’t even trust Witkoff or Kushner to negotiate or deliver messages. It’s really embarrassing for America,” Broe said.
President Zelenskyy subsequently travelled to the United Kingdom for the E3 plus Ukraine security summit, meeting with Prime Minister Starmer, President Macron and Chancellor Merz. Zelenskyy stated that for five consecutive months, Russia has been losing more than 30,000 troops killed and wounded.
“It is important that our assessments align with those of our partners. Russia is not winning on the battlefield, and our mid range strikes and deep strikes are significantly limiting its ability to expand its aggression,” Zelenskyy said.
The president added that ballistic missile defence remains Ukraine’s critical requirement. “The last remaining superior edge that Russia has over Ukraine is ballistic missiles. As soon as Ukraine can domestically produce their own air defence missiles that can stop them, then Russia really has nothing.”
In a further indication of Russian desperation, a drone struck the central spent fuel storage facility at Chornobyl. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed the attack but issued a statement making no mention of Russia and containing no condemnation.
“The IAEA has been informed by Ukraine of a drone attack early this morning on the central spent fuel storage facility located in Chornobyl,” the agency stated. Broe observed: “No mention of Russia. No condemnation of Russia. International organisations love Russia because Russia gives them money.”
On the diplomatic front, pro Western Prime Minister Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party won re election in Armenia with 49.8 percent of the vote, securing the ability to form a majority government. The victory came despite what Broe described as Russian attempts to rig the election through social media influencers and millions of dollars in spending.
“Putin is threatening to invade Armenia to reverse this, but I don’t think he has the spare capacity,” Broe said. “Ukraine is fighting for all these countries right now. As long as Ukraine holds, Russia will never get to Armenia. They’ll never get to the Baltics. They’ll never get to Moldova.”