Russia makes attempts to mask Crimea Bridge – UK intel
The relevant statement was made by the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom on Twitter, referring to the latest Defence Intelligence update, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
According to the UK intelligence, on May 24, 2023, Russia conducted a security exercise around the Crimea Bridge, which links the Russian city of Kerch to the temporarily occupied peninsula. This included the creation of a smoke screen, partially masking the bridge.
The smoke screen was laid by TDA-3 truck-mounted smoke generators, likely of the 28th Brigade of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops.
Russian doctrine considers the use of smoke part of ‘maskirovka’ (camouflage and deception), upon which it places strong emphasis, the UK intelligence noted.
“However, in practice, Russian maskirovka has generally been ineffectual in the Ukraine war, likely because of a lack of a strong central planning function and poor low-level battle discipline,” the UK Ministry of Defence concluded.
A reminder that the UK Ministry of Defence stated earlier that the tone of public debate in Russia had recently moved beyond merely punishing those who criticize Russia’s war against Ukraine towards mandating citizens to actively make sacrifices in support of the war effort.
