A soldier fixes a drone underground in a Ukrainian military position, and former Russian military position, in Ukrainian-controlled territory on August 18th 2024, in Kursk, Russia. Ukrainian forces operating in Russia’s Kursk Region have destroyed a second key bridge, the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force said, as they attempt to push further into Russia.
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Ukrainian forces say they’ve blown up a second strategically-significant bridge in the Kursk region of Russia as Kyiv continues its incursion, while Moscow has yet to mount a robust response to the ambitious cross-border operation.
As many as 5,000 Ukrainian soldiers are taking part in the incursion into Russian territory that began almost two weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal reports. Kyiv claims it has taken control of 82 settlements in the region over an area of 1,150 square kilometers (444 square miles) since the border raid began.
Ukrainian forces have concentrated a number of their assaults on key transport and fuel infrastructure in Kursk in a bid to make it harder for Russia to resource and resupply its troops fighting in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Last Friday, Ukraine said its forces had destroyed a key bridge over the Seym river in Kursk, with the bridge reportedly used to transport equipment to the front line. Russian officials confirmed the attack took place and said the bridge’s destruction would hamper efforts to continue evacuating thousands of citizens in the region.
Citizens being evacuated from border settlements to safe areas as clashes between the Russian and Ukrainian armies continue in the Kursk region, Russia on August 17, 2024. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations is carrying out the evacuation with the help of Russian Railways and the volunteer organizations.
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On Saturday night, Ukrainian forces struck a Russian oil depot in the Rostov region that supplies oil to the Russian military. Ukraine’s General Staff commented on the attack that “measures to undermine the military and economic potential of the Russian Federation continue.”
Ukraine’s air force on Sunday claimed it had destroyed a second bridge in Kursk, which Russia used to supply its troops. Aerial footage posted on social media purported to show the blast creating a large hole in the bridge in Zvannoe. CNBC could not independently verify the footage.
“Minus one more bridge,” Ukrainian Air Force commander Lt Gen Mykola Oleschuk commented on Telegram.
Ukraine’s air force “continues to deprive the enemy of logistical capabilities with precise strikes from the air, which significantly affects the course of hostilities,” he added, in comments translated by NBC News.
Ukrainian servicemen operate a Soviet-made T-72 tank in the Sumy region, near the border with Russia, on August 12, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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Russia has yet to mount a robust counter-offensive against…
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