Putin plan in peril as 75% of boats can no longer cross key strait

Ukraine has announced that the Kerch Strait ferry capacity has been successfully cut down by 75%.

Following a series of drone strikes targeting vessels operating between occupied Crimea and Russia, Ukraine has been forced to reduce ferry capacity in the Kerch Strait.

The commander of Ukraine’s drone forces shared this update on July 19. Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, announced that the “MoLoCHKa” operation spanned two weeks and caused significant disruptions to ferry traffic across the strait.

“MoLoCHKa” is an acronym that translates from Ukrainian as “Moscow will fall because of Crimea.” The operation began on July 6 and is aimed at destroying Russia’s shadow fleet.

The Kerch Strait is a vital logistical route between Russia and occupied Crimea and has been heavily utilized by Moscow to move troops, military hardware, and provisions since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine has repeatedly struck Russian military targets located near this peninsula.

Ferry traffic connecting Russia’s Port Kavkaz and occupied Crimea used to operate with four primary vessels; the Lavrentiy, Panagia, Eisk, and Maria. Additionally, the SKS One was held in reserve.

Now, Brovdi revealed that Maria, Eisk, and the reserve ship are permanently out of commission, having been damaged beyond repair.

This is all a part of Ukraine’s “logistical lockdown” campaign working to cut off Russian military transit routes across occupied regions, including Crimea.

Up until now, the four ferries have moved between 180 and 250 transport units daily, with approximately 80% of that volume supporting the Russian military, Brovdi noted.

He explained that the remaining vessels, Lavrentiy and Panagia, can no longer navigate under their own power. Instead, they are being used as barges towed by tugboats, a setup that largely limits their overall carrying capacity.

This news comes as Russia has launched one of its most massive ballistic missile assaults on Kyiv since the conflict began today. The attacks have resulted in at least one fatality and 16 injuries.

​The air force reported on Sunday that 41 missiles were deployed in the strike, triggering fires to ignite across multiple districts following the heavy explosions throughout the capital of Ukraine.

Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi announced that nearly 600 rescue workers, medics, police officers, and other emergency personnel were responding to the aftermath of the strikes. According to Acting Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, the missile assault on Kyiv marked the largest-scale barrage since the outbreak of the war in February 2022.