Kerch Strait Defense Structure Decimated: Russian Booms Submerged After Storm

1 December, 2023 Satellite image of sunken booms. Photo credits: MT Anderson. Russian booms near the bridge across the Kerch Strait submerged.

OSINT analyst MT Anderson made the relevant satellite images public on his X (former Twitter). According to satellite images taken in October, the structure, consisting of seven barges and a net stretched between them, was afloat. Fresh satellite images dated November 28 show that three barges submerged, one partially submerged, two barges were completely washed away, and only one remained afloat.

The destruction of the defensive structure is related to the recent powerful storm that caused massive destruction of infrastructure on the Crimean coast.

Satellite image of the booms. Photo credits: MT Anderson.

This boom was intended to protect against Ukrainian surface and possibly underwater kamikaze drones. It is known that SeaBaby drones with a warhead weighing 850 kilograms were used to attack the bridge.

Recently, the Security Service of Ukraine showed a video of a Russian bridge across the Kerch Strait being hit by SeaBaby drones in July this year. During the attack on July 17, the Security Service of Ukraine launched five SeaBaby drones, which moved in two groups toward the Crimean Bridge, which was illegally built by Russia. The operation was conducted in cooperation with the Ukrainian Navy.

Previously, on August 29, Militarnyi reported that Russians were building up booms near the bridge across the Kerch Strait using barges.

Booms near the bridge. Photo credits: H I Sutton.

Then it became known that the distance between the barges was approximately 200 meters. They were positioned between the island and Tuzla Spit, opposite the site of the impact that occurred on July 17, 2023.

The Russians also deployed a decoy target of project 436Bis (R) near the bridge, which was supposed to protect the strategically important facility from missiles with active radar homing.