Hundreds of “hedgehogs” in the strait: how the Russians want to protect the Crimean bridge

On the temporarily occupied Crimean peninsula, Russian military personnel continue to fortify the Kerch Strait. They are sinking metal barriers in the sea in the form of so-called “hedgehogs” to restrict movement and protect themselves from attacks by Ukrainian naval drones.

This was reported by the Telegram channel “Crimean Wind”.

According to the public, the structures are placed directly under the navigable arches of the Kerch Bridge (the illegal Crimean Bridge), effectively narrowing the fairway ( a fairway is the deepest and safest part of a river or sea, specially marked for the passage of ships, – ed. ).

Such work began back in September 2024, and hundreds of “hedgehogs” of various sizes are already at the bottom.

Because of this, only Russian military ships, boats, and pilot vessels that have access to special maps with underwater obstacles marked on them can freely move near the bridge.

At the same time, the maps themselves remain classified, which highlights the scale of the restrictions and risks to shipping in the strait.

Earlier, the Security Service of Ukraine struck the Crimean Bridge for the third time . The explosion occurred underwater. After a unique special operation, the illegal structure was in a state of emergency.

In early June , a powerful explosion also occurred near the Kerch Bridge in temporarily occupied Crimea , after which vehicle traffic across the crossing was completely stopped.

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