Pletenchuk reported how the Russians are currently using the Kerch Bridge

“Regarding air defence, they certainly do not lower the level of protection here. I would note that they consider it a priority object for protection, taking into account, for example, the periodic incidents known as ‘pops’ that we hear about in Crimea itself and on the territory of the Russian Federation, while the situation around this bridge remains more or less stable. We can conclude that they approach this issue quite seriously,” he said.

When asked how the Russians are currently using this bridge, Pletenchuk noted that it has been observed that they have started transporting fuel tanks over it, which was not done before.

“This is a serious load for this object, and considering the damage it has previously sustained, it is quite risky. There were times when these tanks stood for months and could not get onto the bridge. The main way of transporting them was ferries. And the ferries are not operating thanks to our efforts. Therefore, their choice is quite limited,” the spokesperson stated.

He suggested that the Russians are forced to take the risk and still send these tanks over the Kerch Bridge.

“There is such a change. At least, it has been recorded that they transported it. This information still needs to be confirmed, but for now, preliminarily, such information exists. And it slightly changes the nature of the exploitation of this object. In any case, it holds significant importance for them now,” Pletenchuk noted.

He also added that the barges near the Kerch Bridge in temporarily occupied Crimea, which were previously installed there by the Russian Federation, might have disappeared due to natural causes – as a result of storms.

“The information regarding the reasons still needs to be verified. But we have already mentioned that the storm season is ahead, and if we think logically, it is unlikely that the Russians would have moved them somewhere themselves, as these barges have a function to perform. Therefore, it is more likely that this incident is not related to their intentions. It is more likely a case of nature intervening directly, and considering the weather conditions, it could have been precisely the result of storms,” Pletenchuk said.

The Navy spokesperson expressed the opinion that that is why the Russians likely tried to establish the maximum number of various barriers, hydraulic structures before the storm season – anticipating such potential losses.

“In principle, we predicted that by spring, this structure would already have some natural changes,” Pletenchuk noted.

When asked how serious the protection of this bridge is with 18 barges and so on, he said that it is always necessary to proceed from the facts, and the fact is that the Kerch Bridge is still standing.

“It probably has some effectiveness. Especially when considering it in conjunction with other factors – for example, patrolling from the water. There is now information that they have even started using coast guard boats, which is the FSB of the Russian Federation. At least these boats have been caught on camera. There is also aviation, which constantly flies there, and in the same way, the Russians continuously deploy helicopters for this purpose,” added the spokesperson.