A soldier repairs an unmanned aerial vehicle underground at a Ukrainian military post and former Russian military post in Ukrainian-controlled territory on August 18, 2024, in Kursk, Russia. Ukrainian forces operating in Russia’s Kursk region have destroyed a second key bridge, the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force said, as they try to push further into Russia.
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Ukrainian forces say they have blown up a second strategic bridge in Russia’s Kursk region as Kiev continues its offensive, while Moscow has yet to mount a strong response to the ambitious cross-border operation.
About 5,000 Ukrainian troops are taking part in the invasion of Russian territory that began nearly two weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal reports exhibitions. Kiev claims to have taken control of 82 settlements in the region spanning 1,150 square kilometers (444 square miles) since the border raid began.
Ukrainian forces have focused a number of their attacks on key transport and fuel infrastructure in Kursk in a bid to make it harder for Russia to supply and resupply its troops fighting in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Last Friday, Ukraine said its forces destroyed a key bridge over the Seim River in Kursk, with the bridge being used to transport equipment to the front line. Russian officials confirmed that the attack took place and said the destruction of the bridge would hamper efforts to continue evacuating thousands of civilians in the area.
Citizens being evacuated from border settlements to safe areas as clashes between the Russian and Ukrainian armies continue in the Kursk region of Russia on August 17, 2024. The Russian Emergencies Ministry is carrying out the evacuation with the help of Russian Railways and volunteer organizations.
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Saturday night, Ukrainian forces hit a Russian oil depot in the Rostov region which supplies oil to the Russian military. The General Staff of Ukraine commented on the attack that “measures to undermine the military and economic potential of the Russian Federation continue.”
Ukraine’s air force on Sunday claimed to have destroyed a second bridge in Kursk, which Russia was using to supply its troops. Aerial photo posted on social media supposedly shows the explosion creating a large hole in the bridge near the village of Zvannoe. CNBC could not independently verify the video.
“Minus one more bridge,” Ukrainian Air Force Commander Major General Mykola Oleschuk commented on Telegram.
The Air Force of Ukraine “continues to deprive the enemy of logistical capabilities with precise airstrikes, which significantly affects the course of hostilities,” he added, in comments translated by NBC News.
On Monday, a Russian researcher claimed that Ukraine struck and destroyed a third bridge over the Seim River, Reuters reported. However, neither Russia nor Ukraine have confirmed this report.
Ukrainian military personnel operate a Soviet-made T-72 tank in the Sumy region, near the border with Russia, on August 12, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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Russia has yet to mount a strong counterattack against the Ukrainian invasion, and even Russian military bloggers have criticized the military’s failure to anticipate the invasion and its lackluster response to the operation.
Defense analysts say the Ukrainian invasion of Kursk continues to force Russia to redeploy forces from elsewhere in the theater of war, and analysts at the Institute for the Study of War think tank noted that it is likely that “the next phases of fighting inside Russia will demand more Russian human and material commitments in the region.”
ISW analysts further said on Sunday that Russian redeployments in Kursk have allowed their forces to slow the initial rapid Ukrainian gains in the region and begin to limit the scope of the Ukrainian offensive.
However, they stressed, “containment is only the first and possibly least resource-intensive phase of the Russian response to Kursk.”
A Ukrainian military vehicle moves from the direction of the border with Russia carrying blindfolded men in Russian military uniforms, in the Sumy region, on August 13, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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“Russian forces will likely launch a coordinated counteroffensive to recapture territory in Kursk Oblast [region] captured by Ukrainian forces, although it is too early to assess when Russian forces will fully stop Ukrainian origins in the Kursk region and seize the initiative on the battlefield to launch such an effort,” ISW said.
“This potential future Russian counteroffensive will very likely require Russia to commit even more manpower, equipment and material to Kursk,” the ISW added, stressing that the exact extent of elements needed for sustained counterattacks to push Ukrainian forces back across the border will depend on how well the Kiev army defends the occupied positions in Russia.
“War potential”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that Ukraine’s primary goal was to destroy “Russian military potential” and create a “security zone” to prevent Russian attacks on its border areas.
“It is now our primary task in defense operations as a whole: to destroy as much of the Russian military force as possible and to conduct maximum counteroffensive actions. This includes creating a buffer zone on the aggressor’s territory – our operation in the Kursk region.” Zelensky said in his night speech.
“Anything that causes casualties to the Russian army, the Russian state, the military-industrial complex and their economy helps prevent the expansion of the war and brings us closer to a just end to this aggression – a just peace for Ukraine” , he added.
A truck with Ukrainian soldiers in the back moves towards the border with Russia on August 16, 2024 in the Sumy region of Ukraine. Fighting in the Kursk region began on August 6, 2024, when the Armed Forces of Ukraine crossed the Russian-Ukrainian border near the city of Sudzha and began to advance deep into Russian territory, and in a few days took control of dozens of settlements in the Kursk region.
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The Ukrainian president said he was briefed on the situation in Kursk by army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and hinted that arming Ukrainian units operating in Russian territory is proving a challenge.
He also called on Western allies to move weapons and ammunition pledged in military aid packages to Ukraine as soon as possible.
“Our children are doing well on all fronts. However, there is a need for faster delivery of supplies from our partners. We strongly request this. There are no holidays in the war. Decisions are needed, as well as timely logistics for the announced aid packages,” Zelensky said.
