Ukrainian forces on Friday destroyed a crucial bridge in Russia’s southwestern Kursk region, severing a key connection between Russian-controlled territories and areas where Kyiv has made gradual progress, according to pro-Kremlin media and military bloggers.
The bridge, which crossed the Seym River near the town of Glushkovo, had been partially damaged earlier in the day in an attack that resulted in the deaths of two volunteers from the All-Russia People’s Front, as reported by pro-war bloggers.
Later on Friday, the bridge collapsed after being hit by a U.S.-supplied HIMARS rocket, according to the Kremlin-aligned Mash Telegram news channel, which also shared images of the destroyed structure.
Alexei Smirnov, the acting governor of the Kursk region, later confirmed the bridge’s collapse, stating that he was “in touch with the local authorities,” but did not provide additional details.
The independent investigative outlet IStories reported that the Russian military had been using the bridge to transport arms and equipment to its forces in the Glushkovsky district, an area currently under a mandatory evacuation order.
The bridge was located about 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) north of the Ukrainian border.
Military blogger Roman Alekhin, an adviser to Smirnov, suggested that the bridge’s destruction by Ukrainian forces was part of a broader strategy to gain control of the Glushkovsky district. This district, which is close to an area believed to be under Ukrainian control, is largely isolated from the rest of the Kursk region by the Seym River.
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