Ukraine Launches Drone Boat Attack on Heavily Defended Kerch Strait Bridge: Surveillance Equipment Compromised
Military Watch Magazine Editorial Staff
Kerch Strait Bridge (right) and Ukrainian Drone Boat Seconds Before Lancet Strike
On the afternoon of July 3 the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched an attack on the Kerch Strait Bridge connecting the disputed Crimean Peninsula to the Russian mainland using multiple unmanned boats.The operation successfully managed to cause an underwater explosion, although reportedly failing to hit any of the bridge supports, with the drone boats subsequently being neutralised by Russian forces using Lancet loitering munitions. The bridge’s operations were not disrupted. Despite the failure of the attack, it was notable that Ukrainian intelligence was able to make full use of cameras across the bridge, indicating that they have likely been compromised by Ukrainian cyber warfare specialists. The Kerch Strait Bridge has long been made a target for Ukrainian attacks, with a successful bombing on October 8, 2022, taking it out of commission for several hours and causing three deaths, which was quickly commemorated in Kiev with a celebratory postage stamp. Russia responded to the attack by launching major missile strikes against multiple key Ukrainian infrastructure targets.
