Russian occupation forces may be using shaped charges on long-range drones to strike large, fortified targets such as the Southern Bridge in Kyiv, analysts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) suggest.
“Russian forces may leverage shaped charges on their long-range drones to strike large, reinforced targets like the Southern Bridge, but such efforts would require repeated, precise strikes over a short period of time to cause significant damage,” ISW said in its report on the website.
As Russian milbloggers claim, Russian forces aim to disrupt traffic crossing the bridge and to use repeated strikes against the same area to cause compounding damage to the bridge. The Russian strike against the Southern Bridge is part of Russia’s wider strike campaign targeting civilian facilities and using both daytime and nighttime strikes to make life in Kyiv City difficult and to disrupt daily civilian functions in the city. The strike also aims to degrade the Ukrainian economy by disrupting the movement of people and cargo through the city.
Serhiy (Flash) Beskrestnov, an advisor on defense technology to the President of Ukraine, reported on September 30 that Russian forces had used a 40-kilogram shaped-charge warhead on Geran-type jet-powered drones. These were employed to destroy electricity pylons and steel bridge structures. “A shaped charge focuses its explosive energy to enhance penetration of hardened steel and concrete targets, causing more extensive damage to bridges, armored vehicles, fortifications, pylons, and other reinforced structures,” the ISW explained.
However, experts at the institute note that the type of drone warhead Russian forces used to strike the bridge remains unclear. “Some Russian milbloggers suggested that Russian forces used a Geran-type drone with a shaped-charge warhead to strike the Southern Bridge in Kyiv City, while others claimed Russian forces used the new warhead to strike power lines,” the think tank added.
“Such technological adaptations to the Geran strike drone could, however, allow Russian forces to repeatedly conduct precise strikes against structural vulnerabilities,” the ISW said.
As earlier reported, on the night of Friday, October 2, Russia once again struck the Southern Bridge in Kyiv.
The Southern Bridge was closed to traffic in both directions, while traffic on the Paton Bridge was halted in the direction from the right bank to the left bank.
