Ukraine reported on Sunday that it had targeted a second important bridge in the Kursk region as part of its effort to disrupt Moscow’s supply routes during its ongoing incursion on Russian soil, which has now entered its second week.
Meanwhile, Russia escalated its actions in eastern Ukraine by claiming to have captured another village just a few kilometers away from the Ukrainian-controlled logistics hub of Pokrovsk.
“We destroyed yet another bridge,” announced Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk on Telegram, sharing an aerial video showing a bridge near the Russian town of Zvannoye being torn apart by an explosion.
“Our Air Force continues to target enemy logistical capabilities with precise air strikes,” he stated.
The timing of the attack was not specified by Ukraine, as Oleshchuk did not provide a date, but Russian military bloggers shared photos of a destroyed bridge that appeared to be the same one, dated Saturday.
Ukraine crossed the border with troops and armored vehicles on August 6, marking its largest assault on Russian territory since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
On Friday, Ukraine declared the destruction of another bridge in the neighboring town of Glushkovo.
“Our soldiers are executing exceptional work in all areas,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his Sunday evening address regarding the operations in the Kursk region.
Zelensky emphasized that the Kursk offensive was intended to establish a buffer zone on the territory of the aggressor, confirming recent statements made by senior Ukrainian officials.
He also reiterated his plea for expedited delivery of crucial equipment, specifically addressing Britain, France, and the United States.
– Advancement Towards Pokrovsk –
The destruction of both bridges on the river Seym in Kursk severely limited Russia’s options for crossing the area, as noted by Russian military bloggers.
Moscow stated that the destruction of one of the bridges impeded evacuation efforts.
The Russian defense ministry reported that it was pushing back against Ukrainian forces near multiple villages.
Over 120,000 people have fled the region since the fighting began, according to Russian officials.
Russia’s defense ministry announced on Sunday that its forces had taken control of Svyrydonivka, another frontline settlement approximately 15 kilometers (nine miles) away from Pokrovsk.
Pokrovsk sits at the intersection of a crucial road that supplies Ukrainian troops and towns along the eastern front and has long been a target for the Russian military.
Russian forces have been steadily advancing towards Pokrovsk for months, capturing several small villages in their push towards the city’s outskirts.
“There have been numerous attacks in just one day,” Zelensky stated in his evening address. “But our units and brigades are working tirelessly to defend their positions.”
Prior to this, the head of Pokrovsk’s military administration, Sergiy Dobryak, warned that Russia was less than 10 kilometers from the city’s outskirts and advised remaining residents to evacuate.
Earlier on Sunday, Ukrainian forces successfully repelled a Russian missile attack on the capital city of Kyiv, which triggered air raid sirens in the early morning hours.
No casualties or damage were reported from the attack, which the administration believed involved “North Korean ballistic missiles of the KN-23 type”.
– ‘Falling Debris’ –
Early on Sunday morning, Ukrainian drones targeted an oil storage facility in Russia’s southern Rostov region, causing a significant fire, as confirmed by the local governor.
Videos shared on social media depicted thick black smoke and flames erupting from the site of the fire, located in the town of Proletarsk.
“In the southeast of the Rostov region, air defenses successfully thwarted a drone attack. Subsequently, a diesel fuel fire broke out at industrial storage facilities in Proletarsk due to falling debris,” Governor Vasily Golubev stated on Telegram.
“At 05:35 (0235 GMT), firefighting at the industrial facility in Proletarsk was temporarily halted following a second drone attack,” he added in an update to his initial post.
No injuries were reported, and firefighting efforts resumed shortly after, according to a later update from Golubev.
An intelligence source in Ukraine stated that the targeted installations were part of Russia’s military-industrial complex.
Proletarsk is located about 250 kilometers from the Ukraine border and approximately 350 kilometers from the areas of combat held by Kyiv along the eastern Ukrainian front line.
Since the conflict began, Kyiv has repeatedly targeted oil and gas facilities in Russia, sometimes hundreds of kilometers beyond its borders, as a form of “fair” retaliation for attacks on its energy infrastructure.
Earlier this month, Zelensky praised his forces for striking oil facilities in Russia, asserting that such attacks would contribute to a “just end” to the conflict.
In a separate development, authorities in the Donetsk region of Ukraine reported that four civilians had been killed and as many injured in Russian air strikes.
Additionally, in Ukrainian-controlled parts of Kherson further south, a drone attack on a car resulted in five individuals sustaining injuries, as reported by local investigators on Telegram.
bur-jj/gv
