KYIV, Ukraine – Ukraine has destroyed a key bridge in Russia’s Kursk region and struck a second one nearby, less than two weeks into its stunning cross-border incursion, disrupting Russian supply routes and possibly signaling that its troops are planning to dig in.
Less than two days later, Ukrainian troops hit a second bridge in Russia, according to Oleshchuk and the Russian regional governor, Alexei Smirnov.
As of Sunday morning, there were no official reports on where exactly the second bridge attack took place. Russian Telegram channels claimed that a second bridge over the Seim, in the village of Zvannoe, had been struck.
Glushkovo lies some 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) north of the Ukrainian border, and approximately 16 kilometers (10 miles) northwest of the main battle zone in Kursk. Zvannoe is located a further 8 kilometers (5 miles) northeast.
Kyiv has been tight-lipped about the planned scope and goals of its lightning push into Russia, the largest attack on the country since World War II, which took the Kremlin by surprise and saw scores of villages and hundreds of prisoners fall into Ukrainian hands.
The Ukrainians drove deep into the Kursk region in several directions, facing little resistance and sowing chaos and panic. Ukraine’s Commander in Chief, Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi claimed last week that his forces had advanced across 1,000 square kilometers (390 square miles) of the Kursk region, although it was not possible to independently verify what exactly Ukrainian forces effectively control.
But the strikes on bridges, apparently aimed to stymie a Russian counterpush in Kursk, could mean that Kyiv intends to seek a foothold in the region – or at least signal to Moscow that it plans to do so.
Second Region Declares State of Emergency as Ukrainian Forces Push Deeper into Russia https://t.co/8Y0DimdsWV
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 15, 2024
The incursion has already boosted Ukraine’s morale, sapped by a failed counteroffensive last summer and months of grinding Russian gains in the eastern Donbas region, and proven its ability to seize initiative.
It has resembled Ukraine’s lightning operation from September 2022, led by Syrskyi, in which its forces reclaimed control of the northeastern Kharkiv region after taking advantage of Russian manpower shortages and a lack of field fortifications.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy late on Saturday urged Kyiv’s allies to lift the remaining restrictions on using Western weapons to strike targets deeper in Russia, including in Kursk, saying that his troops could deprive Moscow “of any ability to advance and cause destruction” if granted sufficient long-range capabilities.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry and pro-Kremlin bloggers have alleged that U.S.-made HIMARS launchers have been used to destroy bridges on the Seim. These claims could not be independently verified.
Ukraine’s leaders have repeatedly sought authorization for long-range strikes on Russian air bases and other infrastructure used to pummel Ukraine’s energy facilities and other civilian targets, including with retrofitted Soviet-era “glide bombs” that have laid waste to the country’s industrial east in recent months.
Moscow also appears to have dialed up attacks on Kyiv, targeting it with ballistic missiles for a third time this month early on Sunday, according to the head of the municipal military administration. Serhii Popko said in a Telegram post that the “almost identical” August strikes on the capital “most likely used” KN-23 missiles supplied by North Korea.
A further attempt to target Kyiv followed around 7 a.m, Popko said, this time launching Islander cruise missiles. He said Ukrainian air defenses struck down all targets fired in both attacks on the city on Sunday morning.
Ukrainian City Hit With Russian Missile Strike Amid Kursk Incursionhttps://t.co/6CO71qvkPb
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 17, 2024
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