Ukrainian forces have destroyed a third bridge in Russia’s Kursk border region within just a few days, effectively severing key supply routes to Russian forces defending the area against a surprise cross-border assault by Kyiv.
The latest strike targeted a bridge in the village of Karyzh on the River Seym, close to the Ukrainian border. This attack, which occurred late Sunday night, leaves the river without any remaining bridges after two others were previously taken out.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested that the continued success of these operations shows that the Kremlin's threats of retaliation were empty. He also called on Kyiv’s allies to relax restrictions on Ukraine's use of foreign-supplied weapons, arguing that these limitations forced Ukraine into conducting physical incursions into Russian territory.
“The operation that ‘no one knew about’ has shown that there are no red lines from the Kremlin that we should fear,” Zelensky stated, adding that Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk might have been unnecessary if it weren’t for the restrictions on targeting Russian territory with donated arms.
Two weeks into the offensive, Ukrainian forces claim to control over 1,250 square kilometers (483 square miles) and 92 settlements in the Kursk region.