Beware the Explosive Vessels
By Scott Savitz
October 20, 2022
By damaging the Kerch Strait Bridge between Crimea and Russia, Ukraine has not only attenuated the flow of Russian logistics, but also achieved a great symbolic victory. The longest bridge in Europe was Putin’s pet project, and a tangible symbol of his desire to permanently bind Crimea to its new Russian overlords. Ukrainians swiftly mocked the despoilers of their country, having put on a dramatic “fireworks show” that damaged a large swath of the bridge for Putin’s 70th birthday. Despite Russian attempts to remediate the bridge, which have restored some movement, its reduced capacity and its increased vulnerability to follow-on attacks demonstrate the effectiveness of Ukrainian attacks well behind Russian lines.
The cause of the initial explosion—which also ignited fuel-filled tanks on a nearby train—has not been definitively determined. Russian authorities were suspiciously swift to attribute the attack to a truck bomb, and rapidly arrested alleged perpetrators. Ukrainian authorities have not acknowledged responsibility for the attack, much less provided comments on how it was conducted. However, some expert reviews of video and photographic evidence suggest that the initial explosion might have come from below.
One possible cause of the explosion from below is an uncrewed surface vehicle (USV)—a vessel without people. Divers’ payloads are inherently limited, so having them plant enough explosives to damage the bridge would have required numerous clandestine trips. Uncrewed undersea vehicles (UUVs) could conceivably have been used, but readily available UUVs have limited payloads and ranges. Moreover, there is evidence that Ukraine is already using explosive-laden USVs: one ran aground in Crimea last month.
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2022/10/20/beware_the_explosive_vessels_860065.html
