Bridges are burning, air defenses are disappearing, and logistics are falling apart: Ukraine has turned Crimea into a mousetrap for the occupiers

There is nowhere to hide in Crimea

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05 Jul 2026

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Ukraine is stepping up strikes on the military infrastructure and supply routes of Russian occupiers in temporarily occupied Crimea, gradually turning the peninsula into “a giant logistical mousetrap”. This is reported in a piece by The New York Times, prepared based on analysis of satellite images and verified video recordings.

The geographic location of Crimea makes it an important military base for Russia, but at the same time creates a serious vulnerability. The supply of the occupying force depends on a limited number of road and rail routes, bridges and crossings, which regularly come under Ukrainian strikes.

According to the publication, in recent weeks the Defense Forces have attacked bridges, roads, air defense systems, radar stations, energy facilities and fuel stocks. Damage to infrastructure has caused power outages and increased shortages of resources needed by Russian troops.

The former commander of the U.S. Army in Europe, Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, said that Russian military facilities on the peninsula can no longer be considered safe.

“There is nowhere to hide in Crimea. Ukrainians can hit any place that has anti-aircraft weapons, a logistics hub, an airfield or a headquarters.”

In just June 2026 the Ukrainian Defense Forces reported having struck 31 air defense systems and radar stations in temporarily occupied Crimea. The weakening of Russia’s air defenses allows for more active attacks on logistics, military airfields, depots, energy facilities and the occupiers’ command posts.

After strikes on bridges, the Russians try to quickly repair damaged crossings and redirect traffic along other routes. However, alternative routes via Perekop, the Arabat Spit and the Kerch Strait also remain vulnerable.

An analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, Katerina Stepanenko, noted that Russian forces are trying to protect supply routes using drones, patrols and interceptors. At the same time, the occupiers lack mobile air defense systems to effectively counter Ukrainian attacks.

The chief of staff of the 412th Unmanned Systems Brigade, Artem Belyenkov, emphasized that Ukrainian units constantly change tactics and seek new ways to strike Russian targets.

“Adaptation can take days, weeks or months, but we are constantly finding new ways to strike in any direction.”

Energy expert Gennady Ryabtsev pointed out that strikes on electrical substations and other energy facilities have demonstrated the systemic vulnerability of the occupied peninsula. The accumulation of damage complicates not only supplying the civilian population but also the operation of military bases, airfields, radars and Russian logistics centers.

Ukraine’s strategy is not a single large strike, but the continual attrition of Russian logistics. Striking bridges, crossings, fuel, the energy system and air defenses gradually makes holding the occupying force in Crimea more costly, complicated and dangerous for Russia.