The explosion on the Crimean bridge only partially destroyed the Russian Federation’s logistics link to the seized peninsula, but the blow has seriously damaged the Kremlin’s prestige. This is reported in the Institute for the Study of War’s daily report (ISW).
According to US assessments, the October 8 explosion on the Crimean bridge will not result in a long-term suspension of contact with the Russian-occupied Crimea, but its impact will make Russian logistics issues worse for a while. In the meanwhile, at least part of the Russian troops will rely on ferry service due to the destruction of the highway bridge spans, which will restrict travel until the bridge is reconstructed.
However, the Russian military will still have access to rail transportation for large pieces of equipment. However, there will be more thorough security checks on every vehicle that crosses the bridge, which may cause delays in the delivery of Russian military supplies, troops, and goods to Crimea.
ISW asserts that to preserve the reputation of Russian ruler Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin will “assign” responsibility for the explosion on the bridge and other failures to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The Russian dictator and his closest entourage, according to certain war advocates in the Russian propaganda sphere, were unable to respond promptly to the explosion on the bridge, which had significant symbolic meaning. For the first time, some people even criticized Putin directly. In particular, “the fragility of the president himself” referred to Russia’s lack of punitive actions.
