An official from the Russian Investigative Committee has claimed that Ukraine has hit a third strategic bridge in Russia’s Kursk region.
This follows Ukraine’s acknowledgement on Sunday, that it has destroyed two others, seeking to disrupt Moscow’s supply routes, as Kyiv’s unprecedented incursion on Russian soil stretched through its second week.
This represents a strike against the last fixed bridge over the strategic river Seim, although the full extent of the damage remains unclear.
The risk for Russia is that it could leave troops on the south bank of the river, trapped without means to resupply.
Meanwhile, Russia ramped up pressure in east Ukraine, claiming to capture another village just a few kilometers from the Ukrainian-held logistics hub of Pokrovsk.
It was unclear when Ukraine carried out the attack. Oleshchuk did not give a date, and Russian military bloggers shared photos of destruction from what appeared to be the same bridge, dated Saturday.
Kyiv sent troops and armored vehicles across the border on August 6, its biggest attack on Russian territory since the Kremlin launched the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
On Friday, Ukraine announced it had destroyed a separate bridge in the neighboring town of Glushkovo.
Advancing to Pokrovsk
The attacks on both bridges, which lie on the river Seym that winds through Kursk, have left Russia with limited options to cross the river in the area, according to Russian military bloggers.
Moscow said the destruction of one of the bridges had hindered evacuation efforts.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a briefing it was pushing back against Ukraine’s forces near several villages.
More than 120,000 people have fled the region since fighting began, according to Russian officials.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Sunday that its forces had captured Svyrydonivka, another frontline settlement some 15 kilometers (nine miles) away from Pokrovsk.
Pokrovsk lies on the intersection of a key road that supplies Ukrainian troops and towns across the eastern front and has long been a target for the Russian army.
The head of Pokrovsk’s military administration, Sergiy Dobryak, warned earlier this week that Russia was a little more than 10 kilometers from the outskirts of the city and urged remaining residents to evacuate.
‘Falling Debris’
Ukrainian drones attacked an oil storage facility in Russia’s southern Rostov region early on Sunday morning, sparking a large fire, the local governor said.
Videos published on social media showed thick black smoke and bursts of flames coming from the site of the blaze, which the governor said was in the town of Proletarsk.
A source in Ukraine’s intelligence services said the installations were part of Russia’s “military-industrial complex.”
Kyiv has repeatedly targeted oil and gas facilities in Russia since the conflict began, some hundreds of kilometers from its borders, what it calls “fair” retaliation for attacks on its energy infrastructure.
Earlier this month, Zelensky praised his forces for hitting oil facilities in Russia, saying the attacks would help bring a “just end” to the conflict.
Victoria Lukovenko, with AFP
