The Crimean bridge was not an easy target for the Ukrainians, and the success in carrying out a bombing on it portends Russia doom, and highlights that no place in Ukraine is safe from Russia from attacks, as it represented a strong boost to the morale of the Ukrainians, and lowered the morale of the Russians.
This was stated in a report written by Alex Gatopoulos - a defense analyst at Al Jazeera English - in which he said, "Despite the strict security measures, innovative defenses and dire warnings of retaliation if it is targeted, the Ukrainians succeeded in reaching and damaging it."
Pride of Russian engineering
Gatopoulos explained that the 19-kilometer-long bridge, the longest in Europe, is the pride of Russian engineering, and is a strategic supply artery not only for Crimea, but for Russian forces in southern Ukraine as well.
Thus it was an obvious target of the Ukrainian military planners.
He added that Ukraine had few ways of successfully hitting the bridge, either because its weapons did not have sufficient range or were not powerful enough to permanently damage the $3.6 billion steel and concrete bridge.
The Ukrainian Air Force could theoretically attack it, but it had to deal with S-300 air defense missiles and newer S-400 batteries guarding the range.
The performance of the Ukrainian TB2 marches was no better, as their light armament is more suitable for ejecting vehicles and hitting command posts than destroying sections of reinforced concrete.
Powerful and complex defenses
Gatopoulos said the Russian defenses around the bridge have been beefed up to augment already existing air defense batteries.
For fear of missile strikes from land or sea, naval battleships equipped with radar reflectors were deployed in front of them facing the outside.
Thick smoke has also been tested as a way to mask the shape of the bridge and help mask the radar and infrared features of the bridge used by certain types of precision-guided munitions and advanced cruise missiles.
He added that these innovations, along with intense patrols by elite forces, combat air patrols, the presence of attack helicopters nearby, as well as the potential for electronic warfare units in the vicinity, all added to the formidable defense of one of the conflict's most valuable objectives.
A serious problem for Russia
The writer commented that penetrating all these defenses with anything enough to damage the massive structure of the bridge is a serious problem for Russia.
The explosion was really big, destroying part of the truck road on the bridge and severely damaging the railway.
Gatopoulos touched on the results of the bombing, saying that its impact on the Russian war effort and the morale of the Russians will be significant, and its impact on the besieged Russian forces in southern Ukraine will be very influential.
He added that his success was a huge boost to Ukrainian morale and a shock to Russian civilians, who are already suffering from the impact of the recently announced troop mobilization.