On Sunday, the Ukrainian military released aerial footage of a strike on a bridge reportedly over the Seim River in Zvanoje.
A few hours later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said for the first time that one of the aims of the military invasion of Kursk was the creation of a “buffer zone” to stop Russian attacks.
For almost two weeks now, Ukraine has been waging its biggest offensive on Russian territory since 2022, when Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine.
“Minus one more bridge,” Ukrainian Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleschuk posted on social media, along with footage of the strike.
General M. Oleschiukas added: “Ukrainian Air Force aviation continues to deprive the enemy of logistical capabilities with precise airstrikes, which greatly affects the course of hostilities.”
The video shows a large cloud of smoke rising over the bridge, and one section of it appears to be destroyed. It is unclear when the blow was struck.
Earlier this week, Ukraine destroyed another bridge over the Seim River near the city of Glushkov. The Kremlin used that bridge to supply its soldiers.
Earlier, military analysts had identified three bridges in the area that Russia used to supply its forces, and said two of them were either destroyed or severely damaged, Reuters news agency reported.
Nearly two weeks after Ukrainian troops crossed the border into Russia, it’s becoming clear they plan to stay.
Ukrainian President V. Zelenskiy said on Saturday that his troops are strengthening their positions in Kursk and continuing to expand into Russia.
In a speech on Sunday night, he said: “Our operation in the Kursk region continues to cause damage to the Russian military and the Russian state, its defense industry and its economy.”
He declared that “this is more than just the defense of Ukraine” and said the aim was to “destroy as much of Russia’s military potential as possible and carry out maximum counter-offensive actions”.
The Ukrainian leader added that this would include “creating a buffer zone on the aggressor’s territory” to prevent further Russian attacks on Ukraine.
Michaylo Podoliaks, adviser to President V. Zelensky, claimed that Ukraine is not interested in occupying Russian territories, but wants to convince Moscow to start negotiations.
The Kremlin called this incursion a major provocation and promised to give an “appropriate response”.
As Ukraine pushes further into western Russian territory, Russian forces have also been advancing in eastern Ukraine, seizing several villages in recent weeks.
It comes as the head of the UN nuclear watchdog warned that the nuclear security situation at the Zaporozhye power plant in Russian-occupied Ukraine was deteriorating after a drone strike near the facility’s perimeter.
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said he remained “deeply concerned” and urged all countries to exercise “the utmost restraint” to protect the plant.
The agency said the strike occurred on a road outside the facility, near key water sprinkler ponds and about 100 meters from the only remaining high-voltage power line. At the beginning of the war, the power plant was occupied by Russian forces and was repeatedly attacked, for which both sides blamed each other.
Last week, Kiev and Moscow exchanged accusations after a fire broke out in one of the plant’s cooling towers.
The IAEA did not say who carried out Saturday’s strike, but its team based in Zaporozhye said the damage appeared to have been caused by a drone carrying an explosive.
“The team heard frequent explosions, repeated heavy machine gun and rifle fire, and artillery fire at various distances from the plant,” the agency said in a statement. The plant has not produced electricity for more than two years, and all six reactors have been shut down since April.
Russia in 2022 in February launched a large-scale invasion of the neighboring country and has recently been slowly making progress in seizing more and more territory in eastern Ukraine.
But she was shocked when Ukrainian troops invaded her Kursk region, where they have been strengthening their positions for almost two weeks. Thousands of Russians were evacuated from this area. This is the first time since World War II that foreign troops have been on Russian territory.
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2024-08-20 06:00:00