Ukraine claims to have attacked a second bridge in Russia’s Kursk region

The Ukrainian military on Sunday released images showing what it said was the destruction of a key bridge in Russia’s Kursk region. This is the second bridge attacked by kyiv in less than two weeks since the cross border raid which took Moscow by surprise.

Destruction of the bridges would disrupt Russian supply routes and could indicate that Ukraine intends for its troops to dig in. Pro-Kremlin Russian military bloggers have acknowledged the destruction of a first bridge crossing the Seim River near the town of Glushkovo.

Russian bloggers say its destruction will prevent deliveries of supplies to Russian forces that they repel the Ukrainian incursion, but that Moscow could still use smaller bridges in the area.

The head of the Ukrainian Air Force, Lieutenant Mykola Oleshchuck, published a video of a Ukrainian airstrike that broke that bridge in two on Friday. As of Sunday morning, there were no official reports on where exactly the second bridge attack took place.

According to the Russian news site ‘Mash’, the attacks left the area with only one bridge intact. While these claims could not immediately be independently verified, if confirmed, the attacks would complicate Russian attempts to replenish their forces in Kursk and evacuate civilians.

Glushkovo is located about 12 kilometers north of the Ukrainian border and approximately 16 kilometers northwest of the main battle zone in Kursk.

A risky maneuver

The attacks on the bridges, apparently intended to hinder a Russian counterattack on Kursk, could mean that kyiv intends to look for a foothold in the regionor at least indicate to Moscow that he plans to do so.

Analysts say that while Ukraine could try to consolidate its gains within Russia, it could be a risky move given the kyiv’s limited resourcesas supply lines running deep into Kursk would be vulnerable to Russian attacks.

The raid has already boosted Ukraine’s morale, undermined by a failed counteroffensive last summer and months of Russian advances in the eastern Donbas region.

In a television interview, the Belarusian president and Russian ally, Alexander Lukashenkosaid the operation in Kursk raised the stakes of the war and that Ukraine was aiming for a better strategic position ahead of possible talks.

“They want, if there are negotiations, to gain a stronger position. This type of escalation by Ukraine is an attempt to push Russia into asymmetric actionswell, let’s say, to use nuclear weapons“Lukashenko said.