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[MorleyDev]

Political influence being derived heavily from wealth, persecution of the LGBT, ethnically homogenous, strong connection between the state and the church, expantionist desires to impose their will upon other countries via force...

Modern Russia is essentially what the Far Right want to turn their country into.

[Strongpoint]

Crimean Bridge was his a few hours ago. Reportedly, one span has collapsed.

I hope those "brilliant" Russians who went to Crimea for a vacation will enjoy the road home.

[Telgin]

Does the Crimean Bridge just provide a link from Crimea to Russia, or are there other major ways in and out of Crimea?  Presumably those just link to Ukrainian territory?

I'm trying to understand the strategic value in destroying the bridge.  It presumably would prevent reinforcements from arriving that way from Russia, but Crimea isn't really close to the front lines from what I can see.  I guess it might serve as one of the main routes from the south?

I'm also curious about the impact on potentially trapping civilians.  I can only assume a ton of Russians moved to Crimea after it was annexed, so I wonder what will even happen if Ukraine reclaims it.

[Loud Whispers]

Does the Crimean Bridge just provide a link from Crimea to Russia, or are there other major ways in and out of Crimea?  Presumably those just link to Ukrainian territory?

I'm trying to understand the strategic value in destroying the bridge.  It presumably would prevent reinforcements from arriving that way from Russia, but Crimea isn't really close to the front lines from what I can see.  I guess it might serve as one of the main routes from the south?

I'm also curious about the impact on potentially trapping civilians.  I can only assume a ton of Russians moved to Crimea after it was annexed, so I wonder what will even happen if Ukraine reclaims it.

Not really about reinforcements, more important for disrupting Russian ability to resupply its own forces with ammunition/shells/barrels/water/food/fuel and all the other usual gubbins needed to sustain military action. The Crimean bridge is vitally important to disrupt as much as possible because trucks carrying supplies to the Crimean peninsula can then offload their supplies to Crimean supply depots. These depots can then transport supplies to Melitopol/Zaporozhia/Mariupol through the railway bridge on the Syvash (a vast shallow-water area which is a logistic nightmare to traverse) which the Ukrainians have also been sabotaging with missiles and saboteurs.

This forces Russia to use railway lines on the Rostov-Donetsk axis (which are in range of Ukrainian artillery), roads (which have lower transport volumes or have to take wide detours to avoid artillery/drone fire) or transport by port in Mariupol or Berdyansk (vulnerable adverse weather conditions and to port strikes, which the Ukrainians have also been conducting). All of which results in lower volumes of war materiel front line russians can use to shoot at Ukrainians, which greatly increases Russian attrition and makes the chance of forcing Russian withdrawal much greater. This is similar to what the Ukrainian army did in Kherson. They continually attacked despite heavy casualties, forcing the Russians to use up their stockpiles of ammunition. They destroyed the bridges behind them, so they could not restock on ammunition. Eventually their shortages became too dangerous to sustain and were forced to withdraw

[Strongpoint]

Does the Crimean Bridge just provide a link from Crimea to Russia, or are there other major ways in and out of Crimea?  Presumably those just link to Ukrainian territory?

I'm trying to understand the strategic value in destroying the bridge.  It presumably would prevent reinforcements from arriving that way from Russia, but Crimea isn't really close to the front lines from what I can see.  I guess it might serve as one of the main routes from the south?

I'm also curious about the impact on potentially trapping civilians.  I can only assume a ton of Russians moved to Crimea after it was annexed, so I wonder what will even happen if Ukraine reclaims it.

This forces Russia to use railway lines on the Rostov-Donetsk axis (which are in range of Ukrainian artillery), roads (which have lower transport volumes or have to take wide detours to avoid artillery/drone fire) or transport by port in Mariupol or Berdyansk (vulnerable adverse weather conditions and to port strikes, which the Ukrainians have also been conducting).

And all of this is not merely a longer and less safe way to supply the Southern front, it is already heavily used to supply the Eastern front.

[Starver]

And, as already hinted, apart from military logistics:

Measures are being taken to restore the situation. I ask residents and guests of the peninsula to refrain from traveling through the Crimean bridge and, for security reasons, choose an alternative land route through new regions.

Civvies are going to have to route past battle damage (if not that bridge, once sufficiently patched up again, the areas where the original Russian attacks might not yet have been "sanitised away" and Ukrainian attacks are now the threat of the moment). Anyone somehow blissfully unaware of the encroaching warzone (after arriving to have summer frolics on whatever beaches aren't actually hedgehogged up to the armpits) is going to be made more aware.


Various reports I've seen (all ultimately quoting Russia's ztatements, so add NaCl to the mix, even without the following confusion of details) also suggest there were two deaths. Either the parents of a young child or two people, including a young child. Some personal and (certainly) collateral civilian casualties, of course, if true. And possibly creating an orphan/at least one grieving parent (depending upon the accurate and true circumstances). That said, I expect Moscow to make disproportionately more fuss about it than the many other examples (that they caused). I'm going to feel unhappy about those involved, but be reasonably content that it's just wrong-place-wrong-time reasons, without specific (or general) intent to cause such distress.

I've actually yet to see hard and fast news on whether or not it was both rail and road (and how it might affect each carriageway at that point, if it's still has two somewhat separate at that point in the crossing). If it is just limited, it might just be the(/a) roadway, under the reported circumstances. But it offers the chance to have limited the rail too (or have yet another go, shortly, and do so properly).

Tempted to quote from either Rocky IV or Predator, as my immediately obvious cultural regerences, but I'll refrain for now.

[Strongpoint]

Traveling through the occupied territory full of landmines, trigger-happy Russian patrols, random deserters, bandits from DNR\LNR "militias" and occasional Ukrainian strikes is a great way to spend your summer vacation.

[Cathar]

I'm trying to understand the strategic value in destroying the bridge. 

The bridge has more than strategic value. It's a wargoal. It is has high as your scale will allows for.

There is only two way you can link Crimea to Russia : by the crimean bridge, and by the landbridge the war is fought for.
The problem with the landbridge : it spans over 4 oblasts, which are the oblasts Russia asks Ukraine to surrender. The bridge is a wargoal because Crimea cannot survive without drinking water, which was given by the canal fed by the Kherson Dam, which was at first cut by Ukraine, then blew up by Russia.

Now, after the destruction of the dam, if they stop the water trucks from reaching the peninsula, it will first start to desertify then people will die.

(This is also why by blowing up the dam, Russia did not earn more time, but instead put a hard timer on their whole operation)

On the strategic map, hitting the bridge is hard and recquire specific, very expensive ammunitions and a lot of preparation, as opposed to the landbridge which is 100% in artillery range. Move food and ammo through Lugansk Donetsk Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, and St Himars will take a statistical toll on them.

Keeping the crimean bridge out of service is extremely stingy and cannot be ignored at all.

[Strongpoint]

The water problem in Crimea is very exaggerated, local sources are enough to cover basic drinking water needs. Agriculture and industry will suffer as they did during 2014-2022 but people won't start dying of thirst.

[Cathar]

The need for drinking water is softened by 1°) the crimean bridge and 2°) a desalination station built by russia during the occupation. Not only it is expensive to get to work, it is also a juicy target should Ukraine decide to fight dirt with dirt. The problem with water is not exaggerated, it was mitigated with extreme expenses by Russia.

Edit : I feel like I need to insist on the fact this is one of the main reason the war is fought

[Il Palazzo]

It's one thing to say Crimea needs water for its agriculture and industry, another to insist that people will start dying of thirst. It ain't a bloody desert.

[Cathar]

It's one thing to say Crimea needs water for its agriculture and industry, another to insist that people will start dying of thirst. It ain't a bloody desert.

But that is exactly what I'm saying (people are more likely to leave than to die, but surviving without water might be life in hard mode). Just google it. Agriculture is just offed and the peninsula is desertifying since the annexion. Civilians are rationing water since 2020. They are not dying of thirst, but then again, the bridge was functionning until now.

This quickly googled articlestates that Crimea has underground reserves, but those reserves are emptying. Crimea do not have a steady stream of drinking water outside of the Kherson canal, and that canal is dead until the end of the war. Hot tears and appeals to humanity to Kyiv are now totally moot since bar the reconstruction of the dam, the canal cannot physically be put online again.

The landbridge is in artillery range and the crimea bridge is out of commission, which means you'll have to buy your drinking water with blood until that situation is remedied.

Busting that bridge is huge, and will produce results as long as it remains busted. By the same account you'll see russia sign ruby on nail every bill it can to get the bridge back online asap.

[Il Palazzo]

Why do you think the bridge was even used for water transportation?

[EuchreJack]

It's one thing to say Crimea needs water for its agriculture and industry, another to insist that people will start dying of thirst. It ain't a bloody desert.

But it's Russian-occupied.
You know they'll prioritize the water for industry and agriculture, sacrificing the civilians for any profit they can get.

Nobody's fault but Russia.

[Il Palazzo]

I don't actually know that.