This weekend, Ukraine used missiles to destroy a railway bridge built by Russia south of Hranit on the coast of the Sea of Azov. According to Forbes, this is one of the biggest events in recent months, and logistics plays a crucial role in this brutal war. Neither side has openly discussed the operation.
Missiles destroyed bridges over the Carmius River, thwarting Russian efforts to improve supply lines between Crimea and the southern theater of operations. "The Ukrainians have dealt a heavy blow to Russia's major logistics plans, undoing nearly six months of Russian efforts," the Kyiv Post wrote.
The Russian military has three ways to transport large quantities of supplies from Russia to the occupation forces in southern Ukraine: by boat to Crimea, by road and rail across the Kerch Bridge directly to Crimea, and by rail through southeastern Ukraine.
Since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war, all three supply lines are under threat from the Ukrainian army. Ukrainian missiles and unmanned boats have sunk most of the Russian army's amphibious assault ships and made Crimean ports very dangerous for surviving ships;Ukrainian missiles have repeatedly destroyed the Kerch Bridge;And the existing railway is within the range of Ukrainian howitzers.
These prompted the Russians to start building a fourth supply line, a railway along the Assyrian Sea, which, while still within range of Ukrainian missiles, would at least free the train from the threat of Ukrainian howitzers. But this new railway had to cross the Carmius River south through Hellanitene.
Russian engineers began construction of the bridge in September 2023. When Ukrainian missiles destroyed it, the building was nearing completion. The attack was carried out using M30 31 GPS guided missiles launched by HIMARS. The Russian army's four-month efforts wiped out the Ukrainian army with a single missile.
Every attack on Ukraine's southern supply lines makes logistical difficulties for the Russian army, which is why thousands of Russian troops in the south of Kherson Oblast are still unable to destroy the bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnieper, which is guarded only by a few hundred Ukrainian marines.