Yevgeny Balitsky, the Russian-installed head of the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia region, told Vladimir Putin that the R-280 Novorossiya highway from Rostov region to annexed Crimea is now allegedly under full control. He made the statement during a meeting at the Kremlin while commenting on the route, which has been attacked by Ukrainian forces in recent weeks.
According to Balitsky, the road supplies Crimea, and the effectiveness of Ukrainian drones has, in his words, fallen significantly.
Ukrainian data and expert assessment
Military and political analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko of the Information Resistance group told Novaya Gazeta Europe that, based on information from Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, the intensity of strikes on roads leading to Crimea through occupied territories has not declined over the past five days.
Kovalenko said Ukrainian drones destroy at least 400 vehicles a day on those routes. According to him, on July 19, 605 trucks and other vehicles were hit.
The expert also said shelling has caused shortages in logistical support for Russian troops in the occupied part of Kherson region. He said this includes fuel and lubricants, ammunition, gear, as well as food, medicine, and water. A similar situation, he added, is developing in Zaporizhzhia region.
Buses and the wider situation in Crimea
The Insider, citing a source in Simferopol, reported that Russian authorities are sending buses along the Novorossiya route toward Donetsk and even Moscow. According to the source, this began after traffic jams on the Crimean Bridge exceeded 1,000 vehicles in one direction.
“Fuel trucks and cargo lorries remain the priority targets for Ukrainian strikes. No such strikes are carried out against passenger buses,” Kovalenko said.
According to the report, since the beginning of June 2026, Ukrainian forces have effectively imposed a fuel and transport blockade on annexed Crimea by striking roads through occupied territories on a daily basis in an effort to disrupt Russian military logistics and gasoline deliveries to the peninsula. At the same time, the Crimean Bridge linking Crimea with Russia’s Krasnodar region is not being attacked. Robert Brovdi, commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, said this is intentional.