ISW explains how strikes on Russian ships affect Ukrainian counteroffensive

This is stated in a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

During the night of August 3-4, a Ukrainian naval drone attacked the Russian ship called Olenegorsky Gornyak. The ship suffered significant damage and will likely be out of service for a while, according to the GUR.

The British Ministry of Defense stated that the Olenegorsky Gornyak is from the Northern Fleet of the Russian Federation. Recently, it has been transporting military and civilian cargo between Russia and occupied Crimea because the Kerch Bridge had disruptions from previous Ukrainian strikes.

ISW experts noted that Ukraine's previous jamming efforts focused mainly on Russian military targets on land. However, now they are expanding their efforts to include naval targets as well.

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly mentioned their commitment to a targeted campaign to intercept Russian military facilities. This aims to weaken Russia's logistical base and defense capabilities, creating favorable conditions for Ukraine's future counteroffensive actions.

Thus, ISW points out that Ukrainian forces are setting the stage for future decisive operations through an interception campaign. This approach was similar to what they did during the 2022 counteroffensive in Kharkiv and Kherson regions, but now they are striking much deeper into Russian rear areas and covering maritime objectives.

Explosions near Crimean Bridge on August 5: 

On the night of August 5, there were powerful explosions near the Crimean Bridge, possibly caused by naval drones.

According to Vladimir Rogov, the representative of the occupation authorities in Zaporizhzhia, a Russian SIG tanker was damaged in the Kerch Strait due to an attack by naval drones. The ship's engine room was harmed, and it cannot move on its own, but there's no fuel leak. Tugboats were sent to assist it.

After the attack, the Russian occupation authorities provided different explanations. They said there was an explosion in the area of Yakovenkove and blocked traffic on the Crimean bridge, turning off the lights for safety. But the bridge itself was not damaged, and they claimed it was an attack by Ukrainian drones.

Russian Telegram channels reported several explosions and sounds of gunfire, and an alarm sounded in the bridge area.

Oleg Kryuchkov, an adviser to the occupying head of Crimea, did not confirm the explosions near the bridge. He said the alarm was activated due to a potential threat of attack. He assured that the loud noises heard by the residents of Kerch were unrelated to the Crimean Bridge, and traffic would resume once the threat is removed.

Later, it was said that the bridge was attacked by surface and aerial drones, and three of them were destroyed.

The head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Malyuk, stated that the drone attacks on Russian ships were legal as they were carried out in Ukraine's territorial waters. He suggested that the Russians should leave Ukraine's territory to avoid further attacks.

According to sources from the Security Service, the attack on the Russian SIG tanker was part of a special operation carried out by SBU employees and the Naval Forces. A surface drone with 450 kg of TNT was used to blow up the ship, causing damage near the Crimean bridge.

The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Oleksiy Danilov, commented on the drone attacks, announcing an expansion of the range of combat work on Russian military facilities in the territory of Russia and temporarily occupied Crimea.

Anton Pavlushko, an international intelligence community InformNapalm analyst, said that there are enough Russian targets in the Black Sea, which are constantly engaged in supplying the Russian army.