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Ukraine ‘destroys third crucial bridge in Kursk’ – Joe Barnes for The Telegraph – 19.08.24

Analysts say destruction of crossings could help Kyiv consolidate its control on territory it has captured.


Ukraine has destroyed a third bridge across a strategically important river in Russia’s Kursk region, Moscow has claimed.


The bridge, near the village of Karzyzh, was the final permanent structure crossing the river Seym, leaving Moscow with few options to bring supplies across the water.


It comes after Mykola Oleshchuk, the head of Ukraine’s air force, published two videos showing air strikes on two other bridges across the river near the towns of Glushkovo and Zvannoe.


Analysts have said the destruction of the bridges could help Kyiv consolidate its control on the roughly 1,100 suqare kilometres of territory it has captured during an unprecedented incursion into Russia.


Russian military bloggers said the third and final bridge had been collapsed by Ukrainian forces.

A photograph has been released, purporting to show a destroyed structure. Ukraine did not immediately claim responsibility for the apparent strike.


Western analysts believe the only route Russia has to reinforce and resupply its forces south of the river is a temporary pontoon close to the destroyed bridge near Glushkovo.


Kyiv continues its offensive operation in Kursk, almost two weeks after launching what has become the first foreign invasion of Russian soil since the Second World War.


Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, said the incursion would create a “buffer zone” to prevent cross-border attacks by Russia into Ukraine’s Sumy region.


“It is now our primary task in defensive operations overall to destroy as much Russian war potential as possible and conduct maximum counter-offensive actions,” he said in his nightly address on Sunday. 


“This includes creating a buffer zone on the aggressor’s territory – our operation in the Kursk region.”


It was the first time any of Kyiv’s political or military leadership had explicitly set out strategic goals for the operation in Kursk.


“Everything that inflicts losses on the Russian army, Russian state, their military-industrial complex, and their economy helps prevent the war from expanding and brings us closer to a just end to this aggression – a just peace for Ukraine,” added Mr Zelensky.


Before Kyiv’s surprise cross-border raid, Russian forces had targeted Ukraine’s north-eastern Sumy region with missile, drone and artillery attacks on a daily basis.


The more land captured by Ukraine, the more Moscow’s troops and aircraft are pushed back, in theory moving Sumy out of range.


Ukraine has continued its offensive actions across its salient of control on Russian soil, according to the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).


Geolocated footage showed Russian forces striking a Ukrainian armoured vehicle in Martynovka, a village southeast of Ukrainian-controlled Sudzha. The ISW said the footage indicated “that Ukrainian forces recently advanced into northern Martynovka”.


The Kyiv-based Centre for Defence Strategies said that Ukraine’s 103rd Territorial Defence Brigade had captured the village of Vnezapnoye and encircled Russian FSB border guards near Glushkovo.


The think tank wrote that Ukrainian forces had taken control of Tolpyno and Kolychevka, cutting off the Russian garrison in Korenevo from the main enemy forces, in an overnight assessment of the fighting. They also “captured Aleksandrovka and used it as a hub for deep raids towards Lgov and Rylsk”, almost 30 miles into Russia.


Mr Zelensky used the apparent successes to ramp up pressure on Ukraine’s Western allies for further military support, saying his troops “are doing great on all fronts”, but needed “faster delivery of supplies”.


“There are no holidays in war. Decisions are needed, as are timely logistics for the announced aid packages,” he said. “I especially address this to the United States, the United Kingdom and France.”



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Satellite image shows a collapsed bridge over the Seym river in the Glushkovo district of the Kursk region of Russia


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