ISW reports:
“Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on December 9 that Russian authorities plan to reopen the road span of the Kerch Strait Bridge in March 2021 and the bridge’s rail lines in mid-summer 2023, significant delays from previously promised dates.
This announcement comes just four days after Putin drove across the Kerch Strait Bridge as part of a likely information operation to convince the Russian populace that the bridge is secure and to suppress panic over a possible future Ukrainian counteroffensive.”
These dates are quite fascinating if accurate. The initial claims which were posted by many on FR that the damage to the bridge was minor and the Ukrainians had failed in their attack are not aging well. Why the delay in opening the bridge to road traffic and why the very long delay in opening rail traffic if it were “minor” damage. Photos I have seen don’t even appear to show repair on the rail section has even begun and considering how important rail traffic on these lines to the supply of Crimea as well as Russian war effort is interesting
I also think it is quite interesting that fuel cars were on the bridge at the exact point of the attack. Coincidence, well if it was it made the attack all that more effective, if it wasn’t and that was part of the attack well that adds another level to the planning and coordination of the attack.
The whole thing is very strange.