-
Ukrainian forces have attacked at least two key bridges in Russia’s Kursk region in recent days.
-
The attacks could disrupt Russian supply lines as the Kremlin scrambles to respond to the invasion.
-
Ukraine launched a surprise invasion of Kursk about two weeks ago and continues to advance.
New satellite images show the aftermath of Ukrainian airstrikes on two key bridges in Russia’s Kursk region.
The consecutive strikes come as Ukraine seeks to step up its efforts in Russia, which began with a stunning invasion last week. The invasion is now in its 14th day. By attacking the two bridges, Kiev is probably trying to disrupt the supply lines of the Russian troops deployed to stop the advance.
The first documented attack, carried out on Friday, targeted a bridge in the Glushkovsky district of the Kursk region. aerial video Ukrainian air force footage showed a projectile hitting the bridge, causing part of it to collapse into the Seim River.
“The Air Force is actively participating in combat operations in the Kursk direction,” Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleschuk, the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, wrote in a Telegram message.
“Ukrainian pilots are carrying out highly accurate strikes on enemy strongholds, accumulations of equipment, and on enemy logistics centers and supply routes,” he added, indicating that the Ukrainian Air Force is involved in combined arms operations in Russia.
Days later, on Sunday, Ukraine targeted a second bridge just a few kilometers away in the village of Zvannoye. aerial video A photo from the Kiev Air Force shows an explosion and then zooms in on the bridge, revealing some damage to the structure.
“Minus one more bridge!” Oleschuk wrote on Telegram after the second attack.
“The air force continues to deprive the enemy of logistical capabilities with precise air strikes, which significantly affects the course of hostilities,” he said. “Thanks again to the pilots for their professionalism and results!” It is unclear what weapons are used to carry out these strikes.
The Ukrainian airstrikes come after Russia redeployed some units from operations in and around Ukraine to the Kursk region. Targeting the bridges there could be an attempt by Kiev to cut off the supply lines of Russian troops sent to respond to the invasion.
After the first bridge was destroyed on Friday, conflict analysts at the Institute for the Study of War said quoted russian milbloggers claiming that the attack will complicate Russian ground communications in the area. The situation appeared somewhat less clear after Sunday’s attack.
“Russian milbloggers and opposition media disagreed about the impact of the damage on Russian logistics. Some sources claimed that the strike had only partially damaged the bridge, while others claimed that the strike had made the bridge impassable and that there was only one other usable bridge left in the area near Karyzh (west of Zvannoye),” the analysts wrote in their daily newspaper research.
Some reports assign that a third bridge was also hit, but Ukraine has only recognized the first two bridges.
Ukrainian troops continue to advance nearly two weeks after the start of the Battle of Kursk. their invasion of the region, according to an update on Saturday by Kiev’s Supreme Commander Oleksandr Syrskyi. The daring attack surprises Moscow and Ukraine’s international partners, including the US, which was not informed in advance of the plans for the operation.
The Kremlin is still responding to the attack, which represents the largest attack on Russian soil by a foreign enemy since World War II. Ukrainian forces have, by their own estimates, more than 1,150 square kilometers (more than 440 square miles) of territory and more than 80 settlements seized.
On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the aim of the operation is to create a “buffer zone” within Russian territory.
“Anything that inflicts losses on the Russian army, the Russian state, their military-industrial complex and their economy helps prevent the war from spreading and brings us closer to a just end to this aggression – a just peace for Ukraine,” he said in a night address to the nation.
Read the original article at Company Insider
