Crimean Bridge closed for record time due to drone attack

A record number of drones attacked Russia-occupied Crimea on the night of December 5. In total, the Russian Ministry of Defense observed 35 UAVs. 

“Twenty-two Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed by regular air defense systems, and another thirteen were intercepted over the Azov Sea and the territory of the Republic of Crimea,” the Russians wrote.

The Russians claim that Ukrainian drones attacked the peninsula. However, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have not yet confirmed this information. 

A series of powerful explosions occurred in occupied Kerch, Feodosia, and Staryi Krym. The blasts were heard a dozen times, as local residents say. Russian telegram channels report that drones tried to attack an oil depot in Crimea.

“Two airplane-type drones were flying towards the Sea Oil Terminal oil depot. The forces and means of the Russian Defense Ministry shot them down. The first UAV detonated in the air – only debris fell on the territory of the oil depot, the second fell 70 meters from one of the tanks. No one was injured,” the occupiers said. 

At the same time, local media also reported that the Butoma shipyard in Kerch, which had already been under attack by the Ukrainian armed forces, was damaged. In addition, Russians blocked the Crimean Bridge for more than 4 hours due to a massive UAV attack. This is one of the longest traffic stoppages on the crossing since the first attack on the bridge in October 2022.

At the same time, on December 4, a day before the attack, Andrii Yusov, a representative of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, said that the Russians plan to restore the defense of the Crimean bridge in two weeks after the recent devastating storm on the peninsula. However, Ukrainian forces will not wait for the occupiers to do so, Yusov added.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian partisans continue their activities in Crimea. Representatives of the Atesh resistance movement stated that they had infiltrated Russian marines in Sevastopol and also recorded the location of the invaders’ military equipment in Feodosia.

“Our agent made a sortie to the park of military unit No. 13140. We managed to detect the military equipment and personnel serving at the unit’s command and technical post. Now we know about 3,137 Russian soldiers serving in this brigade. The vast majority of them are conscripts and contract drivers,” Atesh wrote.

In addition, partisans in Feodosia recorded the unloading of a large number of military vehicles, mainly KAMAZ trucks. Also, a large number of fuel depots were parked on the territory of the railway station for a long time.

“We found out the schedule of these trains’ arrival and informed the Ukrainian Defense Forces,” Atesh claims. 

Atesh stated that Russian troops will use these vehicles to deploy personnel on the Tavriia front. 

“We already know the route, when and how much manpower [will be deployed],” Atesh said.