Russian forces try to replace railway ferries with barges in Crimea - NRC

The successful targeting of logistical routes in temporarily occupied Crimea has complicated Russia's ability to maintain its forces there.

One significant blow to Russian logistics came on August 22, when Ukrainian Defense Forces destroyed the Conro Trader railway ferry in the port of Kavkaz. This operation reduced the capacity for rail ferry transport to a third of its previous level and effectively halted transportation due to the lack of available ferries that Russia could quickly deploy in this direction.

The National Resistance Center (NRC) noted that earlier damage to the railway section of the Crimean Bridge made it impossible for fuel convoys to pass through. The Kerch ferry crossing had been the only alternative for supplying the occupying forces in Crimea.

"Currently, the Russian forces are so desperate that they are searching for barges they could adapt to transport rail convoys with fuel. However, they still don't know how to remove the remains of the sunken ferry to clear access to the shore for receiving railway tankers," the NRC reported.

Due to this situation, the enemy is ramping up fuel supplies through the temporarily occupied areas of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions via the rail route Avylo-Uspenka (Russia) - Amvrosiivka - Volnovakha - Tokmak - Melitopol - Dzhankoy.

In this way, the enemy is attempting to double the transport of diesel fuel and gasoline via the so-called northern bypass of the Crimean Peninsula to up to 160 railcars per day.

Additionally, the NRC reports that the Russian forces are hastily constructing new railway lines along the routes Taganrog-Ilovaisk and Mariupol-Volnovakha.

Destruction of the railway ferry in the port of Kavkaz

The Ukrainian Armed Forces first struck the ferry vessel in the port of Kavkaz on July 23. It was believed that the attack had damaged the railway ferry Conro Trader, resulting in casualties among the crew members.

The General Staff reported that the Russians were using this ferry to transport railway cars, vehicles, and containers for military purposes.

The Ukrainian Defense Forces struck the port of Kavkaz again on August 22. According to official reports, the railway ferry Conro Trader sank completely.

Meanwhile, the Russians have constructed a new railway line from Rostov-on-Don to Crimea, passing through temporarily occupied Ukrainian cities such as Mariupol, Berdiansk, and Melitopol near the Azov Sea coast.