War in Ukraine: kyiv claims destruction of a second strategic bridge in the Kursk region
A second bridge was destroyed by the Ukrainian army this Sunday, August 18, near Kursk.
kyiv claimed on Sunday, August 18, to have destroyed a second strategic bridge in the Russian region of Kursk, where its troops have been conducting an unprecedented offensive for 12 days, at a time when the Russian army says it is continuing its push into eastern Ukraine, towards the Pokrovsk logistics hub.
In recent days, the Ukrainian army has anchored its positions in this Russian region, while gradually advancing, “exactly as we expected”, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. Moscow, for its part, repeated on Sunday, August 18 “repel” Ukrainian assaults by sending reinforcements and inflicting heavy losses on his opponent.
Questions remain about kyiv's intentions in the short and medium term. Ukrainian authorities have sworn that the aim of the offensive was not to “occupy”a part of Russian territory, but, according to them, to put pressure on the Russian army and thus force Moscow to enter into “fair” negotiations, while Russia still occupies nearly 20% of Ukraine.
Tens of thousands of people evacuated
The hour is therefore currently continuing this unprecedented operation. This Sunday, August 18, the commander of the air force, Mykola Oleshchuk, welcomed the destruction of a second important bridge for the Russian army, two days after a first similar claim. “The air force continues to deprive the enemy of its logistical capabilities through precision airstrikes,” he said, posting a video of the attack on Telegram.
The official did not specify when the strike took place, but it appears to have hit a bridge over the Seim River, about 15 kilometers north of the Ukrainian border. Russian military bloggers who have been following the fighting in real time shared photos from Saturday showing what appears to be the damaged bridge, saying the destruction would limit Russian forces' ability to maneuver in the zone.
The hostilities have already forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate on both sides of the border and at least a dozen people have been killed, according to Russian authorities.
Oil depot on fire
In parallel with its offensive, Ukraine is still seeking to disrupt the supply mechanism of Moscow's forces, deeper into Russian soil, in retaliation for the daily attacks on its territory since February 2022.
It thus struck an oil depot in the Rostov region, in southern Russia, with explosive drones on the night of Saturday to Sunday, August 18.
According to the account given by the regional governor, Vasily Golubev, “the air defenses repelled drone attack. As a result of debris falling on the territory of industrial storage facilities in the city of Proletarsk, a fire broke out“.
Videos posted on social media showed thick black smoke and flames coming from the site. This facility "stored oil and oil products" necessary "for the needs" of the Russian army, justified the Ukrainian forces, who confirmed the attack.
Pokrovsk in the Russian crosshairs
While the Ukrainian offensive in the Kursk region attracts a lot of attention, the majority of the fighting continues to take place in the Ukrainian Donbass, where Russian troops have the advantage, facing inferior Ukrainian forces digital.
On Sunday, Russia claimed the capture of a new town, Svyrydonivka, about fifteen kilometers from the city of Pokrovsk, a real logistical hub for the Ukrainian army.
This town, with 61,000 inhabitants before the Russian invasion, is located on an important route to the Ukrainian strongholds of Chassiv Yar and Kostiantynivka, which Moscow would like to seize.
This rapid progress since the capture of Ocheretyne in early May is a sign of pressure that is not weakening not on the eastern front, despite the unprecedented advance of Ukrainian forces into Russian lands.
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