Ukraine's campaign to isolate Crimea: Drone strikes sever bridge supply lines and trigger a fuel crisis

This strike represents the first confirmed attack on a rail route supplying the peninsula, adding a rail-logistics dimension to what had been a campaign focused on road bridges .

Broader bridge strike pattern (June 7–18)

Ukrainian forces methodically targeted every major road and rail corridor linking Crimea to the mainland over a 12-day period.

Chonhar Bridge — The primary road link between occupied Kherson and Crimea was struck on June 7 by Ukrainian-made Behemoth and FP-2 kamikaze drones, damaging the bridge deck . A second FP-2 drone strike on the night of June 9 completely disabled the crossing and suspended all transport traffic . The commander of the 1st Separate Assault Regiment stated that the Chonhar Bridge sustained critical structural damage and was completely impassable . Satellite imagery confirmed metre-wide holes in the deck .

Armyansk Bridge — On June 11, a Ukrainian strike destroyed 50 Russian military cargo vehicles carrying fuel and ammunition on the Armyansk bridge . Russia had been forced to divert logistics through Armyansk after the Chonhar bridge was knocked out .

Henichesk Bridge (Arabat Spit) — Struck on June 7 and again on June 15. A reversible traffic flow was introduced after the second strike . Ukrainian forces hit both the Henichesk road bridge and the Arabat Spit bridge simultaneously in repeated attacks .

Dzhankoi checkpoint, railway bridge, and pontoon crossing — On the night of June 13, Ukrainian drones struck the Dzhankoi checkpoint, a railway bridge, and a Russian pontoon crossing, hitting four targets along the only land corridor in a single night .

By June 11, analysts mapped six bridges and road routes between occupied Kherson and Crimea that had been damaged or destroyed . The Institute for the Study of War confirmed that Ukrainian forces continued to interdict several bridges supporting ground lines of communication connecting occupied Kherson Oblast to Crimea .

New mid-range drones: Behemoth and FP-2

The campaign has been driven by two domestically produced systems. The FP-2 is a first-person-view kamikaze drone that has been used in repeated precision strikes on bridge decks . The Behemoth loitering munition was first publicly unveiled in late May 2026 and made its combat debut on the night of June 6–7 against the Chonhar Bridge . The 1st Separate Assault Regiment reported using these new mid-range drones to attack the three chokepoints between Crimea and the southern front: Armyansk, Henichesk, and Chonhar .

Fuel shortages and rationing in Crimea

The interdiction of bridges has choked fuel supplies to the peninsula, causing the worst gasoline crisis since 2014 .

• June 1 — TES, Crimea's largest gas station chain with 115 stations, suspended gasoline voucher distribution. Local authorities warned the shortage would likely last at least another month . Drivers faced strict rationing and hours-long queues .
• June 11 — Fuel stations across Sevastopol and Yevpatoria ran dry overnight after another wave of drone strikes. A Reuters observer in Sevastopol reported pumps empty .
• Sevastopol — The Kremlin-installed governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev, suspended fuel distribution city-wide on June 11 . By June 12, only 9 of more than 100 ATAN-network stations had resumed unrestricted sales . Razvozhayev stated that fuel tankers could not reach the city .
• Overall — Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries, depots, fuel convoys, and bridges made fuel tankers unable to reach the peninsula. Crimean authorities imposed rationing via QR codes, and tourists began canceling trips .