UK Intelligence details Ukrainian strike on Russian ferry in Kerch Strait
Photo: The last Russian ferry in the Kerch Strait is out of commission (Getty Images)
On July 23, Ukrainian forces damaged the Slavyanin rail ferry in the port of Kavkaz, Russia. The strike will cause Russia further logistical problems in supplying its occupation forces in southern Ukraine and transporting liquefied petroleum gas, according to the UK Ministry of Defense.
The Slavyanin has the largest cargo capacity of the three rail ferries in the Kerch Strait between Russia and the Crimean peninsula.
According to UK intelligence, after Ukraine's successful missile attacks that damaged two other rail ferries on May 29, 2024, Slavyanin was put back into service after the collision in late 2023 as the only rail ferry. Road ferries also operate. Before the relocation, Slavyanin was most likely transporting liquefied petroleum gas through the Kerch port.
“Rendering RO-RO ferries non-operational, even temporarily, highly likely imposes increased costs as well as reducing Russia's flexibility to transport fuel, munitions and equipment across the Kerch Strait. It is highly likely that Russia will now have to risk the movement of fuel trainsets across the Kerch Bridge, something it had tried to avoid since the first attack on the bridge in October 2022,” the UK Ministry of Defense says.
On July 23, the Ukrainian Defense Forces attacked the ferry Slavyanin in the Russian port of Kavkaz in Krasnodar Territory. According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the ferry was significantly damaged as a result of the attack.
The Ukrainian Navy said that Russia withdrew its warships from the Sea of Azov after the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked the Russian ferry Slavyanin, fearing their elimination.
