A Ukrainian attack on a Russian ferry this week will “almost certainly” cause the Kremlin problems supplying its occupation forces across southern Ukraine. The July 23 strike on the roll-on/roll-off vessel Slavyanin heavily damaged the largest of three Russian ferries transiting the Kerch Strait between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, British intelligence officials said in a new assessment Thursday.

The Slavyanin was put back into service after the other roll-on/roll-off (RORO) ferries were heavily damaged in a May 29 Ukrainian missile attack, UK military officials said on the social messaging site X.

“Rendering RORO ferries non-operational, even temporarily, imposes increased costs as well as reducing Russia’s flexibility to transport fuel, munitions and equipment across the Kerch Strait,” UK officials said. 

Before the May 29 Ukrainian missile strike, the Slavyanin was likely transporting liquefied natural gas (LPG) to customers in the Black Sea region, officials said.

Moscow has been forced to change its security procedures and risk shipping fuel across the Kerch Bridge, something it had tried to avoid since the first Ukrainian attack on the bridge in October 2022, officials said.

• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.