Can Ukraine isolate Crimea? Attacks on vital supply routes raise pressure on Moscow

Ukraine is targetting key highways connecting Crimea with southern Russia. This is part of Ukraine's campaign to isolate occupied Crimea from Russia. There are two major routes connecting Crimea with Moscow. One of them is the 390-mile road, known as R-280 or “Novorossiya”, is considered crucial for supplying Russian forces on the southern battlefield as well as keeping the occupied territories supplied with food and fuel. The other main route is the Kerch Bridge, which connects mainland Russia with Crimea. But following repeated attacks from Ukrainian drones and missiles, the bridge has been rendered useless. It is largely closed to heavy military vehicles and freight; it is now just used as a civilian getaway.

Attacks on “Novorossiya”

The “Novorossiya” pass through two choke points, Chonhar Bridges or the Henichesk/Syvash Bridges that go near Armiansk. On June 7, Ukraine conducted strikes on the Chonhar bridge using Behemoth mid-range strike drones. The Chonhar road crossing was officially declared inoperable following similar strikes on June 9. In the follow-up attacks on Armiansk choke points on June 11, June 12 and 13, on railway bridges and secondary, smaller bridges that were being used by Russia were targeted. According to Western media, these attacks have significantly reduced the Russian capability to get supplies to start rebuilding the connecting links to Crimea peninsula.

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Kerch Bridge attack

The Kerch bridge was subjected to a sequence of attacks. It was shut down for over five and a half hours overnight from 11:30 pm on June 22 to 5:10 am on June 23, 2026. In a post on Telegram, Ukraine's Special Operation Forces has claimed that the North Crimean canal bridge "no longer exists." The SOF said that the rail bridge serves as a "strategic military and logistical artery for the occupiers." Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Federov said the Ukrainian military is “isolating Crimea with drones.” It is repeatedly triggering a fuel crisis, which led to a halt in the civilian fuel sale on Monday. The attack suspended the passenger train services within Crimea.

Can Ukraine isolate Crimea?

“Crimea will topple Moscow,” said Brovdi, the drone commander, “A suitcase without a handle is a heavy burden.” He apologised to his countryman for the persistent drone attacks in Crimea. But he added that there was no other way to "evict 1 million occupiers” from the peninsula.

Michael Clarke, a London-based professor of war studies have said that Ukraine knows that it won't be able to liberate Crimea. But it serves as an important “pressure point” for Kyiv. It has steadily eroded the Russian capacity to hold on to the region, making it expensive for Russia. Putin has dismissed the effectiveness of the Ukrainian drone campaign and called it a ploy to disrupt Russian society. Russian pro-war segment has criticised its air defence for failure to hold onto R-280 or “Novorossiya” and the resulting halt in tourism, saying that the island has become untenable. The Kerch Bridge now remains operational, but it functions under severe strain with rolling security closures and logistical restrictions.