Ukraine dismantles crucial infrastructure facilities in Kursk, specifically targeting two significant bridges.
According to Ukrainian sources, troops in Kursk are reportedly progressing by 1 to 3 kilometers. Simultaneously, they're seemingly taking out two key bridges that would be useful for a potential Russian counterattack involving heavy machinery. However, similar advancements in the adjoining Belgorod region haven't been successful.
Ukrainian sources claim to have demolished two strategically valuable bridges in Kursk's Gluschkow district. As per the Russian news agency TASS, the bridges over the Seim River in Gluschkow and Zvannoe villages were targeted. Online analysts on the X platform suspect that the HIMARS US rocket launcher system might have been used.
Approximately 20,000 residents live in the district. Russian media reports suggest that the bridge destruction has hampered evacuation attempts. The Kyiv government hasn't made any public comments on the matter.
OSINT channels observing pictures and videos from the platform note that the Gluschkow bridge was the main paved link to the southern Seim side, making it difficult for heavy equipment like tanks to traverse the area. Now, the Russian forces must rely on winding and unpaved roads to cross the river, they suggest.
Failed push in Belgorod
The "Washington Post" reports another Ukrainian operation, this time at the boundary of the neighboring Belgorod region. However, Russian forces were on high alert following events in Kursk, and the Ukrainian attack became stalled at the border zone. Ukrainian soldiers engaged in the push mention that Russian artillery units, drones, and aircraft attacked Ukrainian troops as soon as they crossed the border. According to these soldiers, Russian forces have set up a dense network of anti-tank defenses along the border and heavily mined the area. Under heavy fire, Ukrainian units had to retreat to their own territory.
The Ukrainian leadership hasn't released any statements regarding this development. Commander-in-Chief Olexander Syrskyj merely acknowledged that Ukrainian troops had advanced another 1 to 3 kilometers in Kursk. "Fighting continues along the entire front line," he stated on Friday evening. "Overall, the situation is under control."
Intense attacks in the east
Meanwhile, Russia is launching heavy assaults in eastern Ukraine, particularly in the occupied Donbass region. The Kyiv General Staff reports 23 attacks by Russian troops in Pokrovsk. "Defenders have thwarted 17 attacks, and six more clashes are still ongoing," they declared in the evening. Eight Russian attacks were repelled in Torez. During the skirmishes, the Russian air force bombarded Torez and smaller towns like Nju Jork (New York) and Nelipivka.
Russia has been waging a relentless war of aggression against Ukraine for more than two years, capturing significant territories in its eastern neighbor. To prevent further expansion and boost its bargaining power in any potential talks between Moscow and Kyiv, Ukraine's military has launched a counteroffensive into the Russian region of Kursk.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy affirmed in his evening video address that Russia's losses are "very beneficial" for Ukraine's defense. "It's about disrupting the logistics of the Russian army and depleting their reserves. Our goal is to cause maximum damage to all Russian positions, and that's what we're doing."
The attack on Ukraine in Kursk has led to the demolition of two strategically valuable bridges, causing difficulties for Russian evacuation attempts, as reported by Russian media. Despite the successful destruction of these bridges, Ukrainian advancements in the Belgorod region have faced challenges, resulting in a stalled attack at the border zone.
