Kerch ferry crossing has lost 75 per cent of its capacity following strikes by Special Forces, – Madyar. PHOTO
The Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Unmanned Systems Command has stated that, as a result of Operation ‘MoLoChKa’, the capacity of the Kerch ferry crossing was reduced by 75 per cent over a two-week period in July. According to military sources, two ferries have been put out of action beyond repair, whilst two others have lost their ability to move under their own power and are now being used as barges, which significantly limits the Russian Federation’s logistical capabilities.
This was reported by USF Commander Robert Brovdi (Madyar), according to Censor.NET.
"A 75 per cent reduction in the capacity of the Kerch ferry crossing over the two weeks of the USF ‘MoLoChKa’ operation. 25 per cent remains – will they survive? I don’t think so," wrote Brovdi.
Details:
Prior to the start of the operation, the Kerch ferry crossing’s transport and cargo services were provided by four ferries operating regularly between the port of Kavkaz and the port of Crimea. A fifth was on standby at the port of Kerch: the ‘Lavrentiy’, ‘Panagia’, ‘Eysk’, ‘Maria’ and ‘SKS-One’.
The USF ‘Birds’ unit, in conjunction with the SSU, rectified the situation over a two-week period in July.
AAR as at 19 July:
- The ‘Eysk’ ferry – effectively targeted by the USF on 12 and 13 July, towed to Kerch; no plans for its repair or return to ferry service
; - The vessel "SKS One" – destroyed by the USF on 7, 12 and 13 July; currently moored in the port of Kamysh-Burun; cannot be repaired;
- The ferry ‘Maria’ – struck multiple times throughout July by the USF and the SSU; towed to Kerch; there are no plans to repair it or return it to ferry service;
- the "Lavrentiy" ferry – damaged by the USF, SSU and DIU; unable to sail under its own power; used as a barge and towed in a barge-tug configuration, which halves its operational potential and increases the risk of destruction at sea;
- The ‘Panagia’ ferry – has been seized by the SSU, USF and, previously, by the Defence Intelligence (DIU); it is not under its own power and is being used as a barge, towed in a barge-tug configuration, similar to the ‘Lavrentiy’.
*In the photo – right in front of the slipway, the now-decommissioned ferry ‘Maria’; to the right – the unfit ‘Panagia’, which is still being towed as a barge.
- The capacity of a single ferry is 8–15 vehicles, depending on size and weight.
- 80 per cent of the traffic carried is allocated to the Russian Ministry of Defence.
- The total daily capacity of the four ferries that were once in operation, under standard non-combat conditions, is 180–250 vehicles per day. Or, to be more precise, that was their capacity.
"You lot, get your Astrakhan-built ‘Kompositor Rakhmaninov’ out of Rostov and into the port of Kavkaz already – the one you’ve got ready to dance to Crimea’s tune. The time has come for its heroic plunge. The Kerch ferry crossing is out of action," added Brovdi.
