Ukrainian forces destroyed a bridge over the Seim River in the Glushkovsky district in Russia's Kursk Oblast, Alexey Smirnov, the region's acting governor, claimed on Aug. 16.
The unprecedented operation hit its 10-day mark on Aug. 15, with Kyiv claiming to have seized 1,150 square kilometers of Russian territory and 82 settlements, including the town of Sudzha.
Photos purporting to show the destroyed bridge were published by the Russian Telegram channel Mash, which claimed the bridge had been struck multiple times.
The channel also claimed that about 30 settlements near the village of Glushkovo, approximately 150 kilometers (93 miles) from Kursk, have been "cut off" due to the attack.
Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk posted later a video, showing the attack on the Russian bridge.
"Ukraine's Air Force aviation is actively participating in combat operations in the Kursk sector. Ukrainian pilots are conducting precision strikes on enemy's strongholds, equipment concentrations, as well as on enemy's logistics hubs and supply routes," he said.
The Insider reported that the Glushkovsky district has three bridges across the Seim River, with the other two located near the settlements of Zvannoe and Karyzh.
Roman Alyokhin, an advisor to Kursk Oblast's acting governor and a Russian pro-war blogger, also claimed that Ukrainian forces are targeting the bridge in Zvannoe, about 7 kilometers (4 miles) from Glushkovo, in an attempt to seize part of Kursk Oblast along the river.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.
Kyiv said that rather than capturing Russian territory, the incursion aims to protect Ukrainian lives by preventing cross-border attacks and diverting Russian reinforcements.
Despite mounting reports that Russia is moving at least some forces to the sector, Kyiv's troops in the east of Ukraine say the situation there remains dire as Moscow continues its advance near Pokrovsk and Toretsk.
Francis Farrell
(Updated: )
