Ukrainian forces claim to have destroyed a strategically important bridge in Russia as they continue their cross-border operation into Russia’s western region of Kursk.
On Friday, Ukrainian forces released video footage showing what they claim to be a bridge over the Seym River being destroyed by their attack.
Reports from the Associated Press and other media said Russia used the bridge to supply its troops, and that its destruction could hamper their efforts.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, said in a social media post, “For the first time, the Kursk region was hit by Western-made rocket launchers, probably American HIMARS.”
She also said the bridge was completely destroyed and that volunteers who were providing assistance to evacuating citizens were killed in the attack.
A video taken on Friday in Sudzha, a town Ukrainian forces claim to have captured, showed a signboard at the entrance of an underground shelter that read in Russian, “Peaceful people in the basement. There are no soldiers.”
Ukraine’s military commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi told President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday that the fighting is “ongoing along the whole frontline” in the Kursk region.
He reported that Ukrainian forces had advanced one to three kilometers in some directions. He also said their forces continued capturing Russian prisoners of war.
Zelenskyy said on Friday, “We see that the occupier is suffering losses, and this is helpful, very helpful for our defense.” He added, “It is about destroying the logistics of the Russian army and draining their reserves.”