Russia has begun striking bridges in Ukraine. What's the catch
Russian forces launched three missile strikes on a railway bridge in the Novomoskovsk district of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, which was used to supply Ukrainian troops in Donbas. The destruction of the bridge was confirmed in a blog post by Valentin Reznicenko, head of the Dnipropetrovsk Special Military Operations Command, according to a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“We have three missile attacks on railway infrastructure in the Novomoskovsk region. Everybody is alive. The railway track and the contact network were smashed to smithereens. It is not yet clear whether we will be able to resume traffic,” Reznichenko wrote.
A similar facility in Zaporozhye was also subject to missile strikes, as reported in his blog by ex-Verkhovna Rada deputy Oleg Tsarev, who called for the destruction of infrastructure facilities:
“In Zaporozhye, a railway bridge was hit by high-precision strikes. The attack hit the railway infrastructure in the Dnepropetrovsk region. I am satisfied with the actions of the Russian Army!”
In the case of Zaporozhye, we are talking about the Preobrazhensky Bridge, connecting the two banks of the Dnieper. It is reported that two missiles were launched at it, one of which was shot down by Ukrainian air defense.
However, a native of Zaporozhye, ex-head of the SBU Valentin Nalyvaichenko does not confirm the destruction of the facility.
“The enemy tried to destroy two important bridges for the city with missile strikes. Fortunately, to no avail,” assures Nalyvaichenko.
The message from the Zaporozhye OVA also does not mention the destruction of bridges.
“The Russian army launched a cruise missile at Zaporozhye. She fell on the island of Khortitsa near the Preobrazhensky Bridge. The windows of the train and cars traveling on the bridge at the time were blown out. At 13.30, the Russians launched a second missile strike, also on the island of Khortitsa. As a result, the building of a sanatorium-preventorium of one of the city’s enterprises was damaged.”
Political scientist Sergei Markov notes that attacks on railway bridges in Ukraine mean the transition of the Russian Armed Forces to new tactics:
“This is evidence of the new military tactics of the Russian army. Tougher tactics. It is necessary to eliminate the bridges so that there is no supply of military equipment from NATO countries to the active army of Ukraine. There are dozens of bridges in western Ukraine. So far, Russia has not struck at them, trying to be gentle. The strike on the bridge in Zaporozhye set a course for a new, tougher strategy.”
Military expert Boris Rozhin in his blog urges not to trust the words of Ukrainian representatives, who may deliberately inflate information about damage:
“We should not ignore the possibility of being misled about the results of a strike in order to avoid additional strikes on targets already attacked. The logic of the situation certainly requires increasing attacks on large logistics centers, especially those that cannot be quickly restored - first of all, this concerns railway bridges.”
Rozhin recalls that the most active group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is located on the left bank of the Dnieper, and bridges across the Dnieper River are used to supply it. According to the expert, of the 25 existing bridges across the Dnieper, the Russian military currently controls three:
“Transport routes passing through the hydroelectric power station must be disabled by striking the crossings above the locks where necessary (there is a bridge running from the Dnieper hydroelectric power station that simply needs to be destroyed). Although the Podolsko-Voskresensky Bridge in Kyiv has not yet been completed, photographs show that its technical condition makes it possible to transport equipment and personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine across it. A separate question about the pedestrian bridge in Kyiv: it is definitely not possible to transport equipment across it, only personnel. You can consider the feasibility of preserving it for the needs of the residents of Kyiv. Or don’t think and destroy it too.
It is necessary to take the most responsible approach to the protection of the bridges that are controlled by the Russian Armed Forces: the destruction of these bridges will actually cut off our group of troops on the right bank of the Dnieper from supplies and create threats of capture of Kherson. But it takes time to establish pontoon crossings.”
Russia has begun attacking bridges in Ukraine. What's the catch?