President Vladimir Zelensky says Ukrainian forces are strengthening their positions in Russia’s Kursk region, where they have launched a surprise offensive.Ukraine claims it has destroyed a bridge that was a crucial part of a Russian military supply chain. The Kremlin asserts that Ukraine used U.S.-made rockets to attack the structure. A Ukrainian Air Force Commander released a video showing a strike on a bridge in Kursk. Russia alleges that Ukraine used U.S.-made HIMARS artillery to destroy the bridge that crossed the river Seim. Blowing up the bridge could disrupt Russia’s supply lines to its forces in the area.
“We see that the occupier is suffering losses, and this is very helpful for our defense. It is about destroying the logistics of the Russian army and draining their reserves. We must inflict maximum damage on all Russian positions, and we are doing that,” Zelensky said. The Russian town of Sucha, 10 km from the border, is now fully under Ukrainian control. Russian statues and symbols have been defaced as Ukraine prepares to set up a military command office. They now claim control of over 80 Russian villages. The Belgorod region’s governor has ordered the evacuation of even more residents. He also said “From August 19, access to five settlements will be closed, and residents will be relocated to new housing.”
However, Ukraine itself is still under attack. Children are being forcibly evacuated from the Donetsk region, and residents are fleeing the city of Popasna. An air strike on the city of Sumy shows that Ukraine must still put out fires on its own territory, even as it starts them across the border.
The bridge was strategically significant, used by Russia to supply its troops near the town of Glushkovo, about 25 km north of the border with Ukraine. Russia now claims that Ukraine likely used U.S.-supplied HIMARS artillery to blow up the bridge. They are also claiming that the strike killed some volunteers who were trying to evacuate civilians. Ukraine hasn’t responded to these allegations, but in the past, the U.S. has given Ukraine permission to use the HIMARS rocket launcher on targets within 100 km inside Russia, which means this targeted bridge would be within that range. The destruction of this bridge aligns with what Ukrainian officials have been saying so far, namely that one of the goals of this incursion into Kursk is to stop Russia from using that region as a launch pad for cross-border strikes, which means targeting its supply routes and logistics hubs.
