How Ukraine severed Crimea’s railway lifeline in a single week

Railway bridge near Ichky (June 28)

Five days later, on June 28, Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed a strike on a second strategic railway bridge — this one near the settlement of Ichky in occupied Crimea. The General Staff described it as a key logistics route regularly used by Russian forces to transport personnel, equipment, and military supplies . The strike was part of the same overnight operation that also targeted oil refineries and an ammunition depot .

Together, the destruction of these two bridges severed the only railway line connecting Krasnodar Krai (mainland Russia) with central and western Crimea .

Fuel and ammunition: the refinery and depot strikes

On the night of June 27–28, Ukraine’s Defense Forces struck the Sloviansk oil refinery in Krasnodar Krai and the Yaroslavl oil refinery northeast of Moscow, as well as a Russian ammunition depot in Donetsk Oblast . Ukrainian officials stated the refineries supply fuel to Russian occupation forces . The Yaroslavl refinery — one of Russia’s largest, with a processing capacity of approximately 15 million tons of oil per year — saw a fire break out on its premises .

These strikes were confirmed by the General Staff and reported by multiple outlets, including Ukrainska Pravda, UNN, and ABC News . Earlier in June, Ukraine also hit three workshops of the Titan-Barricades plant in Volgograd, which produces military equipment , and struck oil terminals and fuel storage facilities in Kerch .

Immediate impacts on Russian supply lines

The combined effect of the bridge and refinery strikes was immediate and measurable.

Rail traffic halted

With the railway severed, Russian railway authorities canceled 11 train routes out of Crimea. Only seven daily trains continued to run to Kerch on the eastern edge of the peninsula, and some services were rerouted via the occupied Zaporizhzhia rail corridor .

Kerch Bridge traffic jams: 1,500 to 2,800 vehicles, 10–15 km long

Satellite imagery from Planet Labs, analyzed by Radio Liberty’s Schemes project on June 24, showed a traffic jam stretching over 10 km at the approach to the Kerch Bridge. An estimated 1,500 vehicles were queued to exit Crimea . By June 26–27, that number grew to 2,000–2,800 vehicles, with lines reaching 15 km — described by eyewitnesses and local media as "an absolute record" . The bridge was repeatedly closed for hours at a time due to missile alerts, air defense activity, and the threat of Ukrainian naval drone attacks .

Mass exodus

Eyewitness videos and reports showed civilians fleeing Crimea en masse. One observer filming the traffic from the Krasnodar side noted: “There’s never been a queue like this in front of the bridge before. It’s an absolute record” .

Broader crisis on the peninsula

The logistical collapse triggered administrative and civilian disruption beyond the immediate supply chain.

• State of emergency: Russian-installed occupation authorities declared a state of emergency in Crimea in response to the deteriorating situation .
• Children’s summer camps suspended: The authorities suspended all children’s summer camps on the peninsula until at least September .
• Electricity shortages: The strikes contributed to power supply problems, with Ukrainian drones also hitting a power plant, an electrical substation, and a liquefied natural gas distribution site .

A deliberate campaign to isolate Crimea

The strikes were not isolated. Ukraine’s General Staff described the June 28 operation as part of an “ongoing campaign to disrupt Russian military logistics supporting operations from the temporarily occupied peninsula” . The pattern — destroying bridges, hitting fuel infrastructure, and targeting repair attempts — mirrors earlier strikes in 2025, including the June 3, 2025 underwater explosion that damaged the Kerch Bridge itself .

Summary

In the span of one week, Ukrainian forces destroyed the only railway connecting mainland Russia to central and western Crimea, forced the cancellation of 11 train routes, triggered a 10–15 km traffic jam of 1,500–2,800 vehicles at the Kerch Bridge, and prompted a state of emergency. The simultaneous strikes on the Sloviansk and Yaroslavl oil refineries — among Russia’s largest, with annual processing capacities around 15 million tons — further squeezed the fuel supply to Russian occupation forces. The campaign has effectively isolated Crimea by rail and placed mounting pressure on the peninsula’s remaining road and ferry connections.