Watch: Ukraine ‘destroys Russian bridges using Himars’
Ukraine’s special forces have released footage that they claim shows pontoon bridges being destroyed with US-made missiles in Kursk.
The shows a range of attacks in Russia’s border region, including Himars missiles hitting the bridges, which Kyiv said were destroyed along with crucial Russian equipment.
It also shows Ukrainian forces destroying Russian field ammunition, fuel depots, a radio-electronic warfare complex and a 152-mm D-20 gun, a Ukrainian military officer told the Kyiv Post.
While Washington has not commented on the strike, Kyiv acknowledged for the first time on Wednesday that US-made weapons had been used in its Kursk incursion.
“Where are the Russian pontoons disappearing [to] in the Kursk region? Special operations forces operators, together with units of the defence forces of Ukraine, are effectively destroying them,” Ukraine’s special operations forces said.
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Another military officer said the purpose of the attacks was to cut off Russian supply lines, which he claimed had been used to coordinate attacks against Ukraine.
“It’s clear that as the enemy retreats, they haven’t ensured the proper function of all military systems, while the Ukrainian armed forces are effectively utilising resources to cut off the Russians’ logistical routes,” he said.
The officer added that another purpose behind the destruction of Russia’s pontoon bridges was to demotivate Moscow’s army, given Ukraine’s advances in Kursk.
Russia scrambled to build the pontoons after Ukraine destroyed three crucial bridges along the River Seym last weekend near the settlements of Glushkovo, Zvan, and Karyzh.
The destruction of the final bridge near Karyzh on Sunday left Moscow with few options to bring supplies across the water.
Analysts have said the destruction of the bridges could help Kyiv consolidate control of the territory it has gained since launching the daring invasion of the Russian border region nearly two weeks ago.
The week, Kyiv’s top general said Ukrainian forces had advanced 28-35km (17-22 miles) into the Kursk border region, capturing more than 90 settlements.
The destruction of bridges inside Russia by Ukraine has formed part of a wider counter-offensive by Kyiv, which has included a series of drone strikes against key Russian targets.
On Wednesday, Moscow was targeted with what the city’s mayor said was “one of the largest” drone strikes launched against Russia since the war started in February 2022.
Meanwhile, a military base in southern Russia was hit in a Ukrainian drone strike overnight on Thursday.
The Marinovka military airfield, believed to host fuel and glide bombs, was hit as part of a campaign on Russian airfields used by warplanes to carry out attacks in Ukraine, a source told Reuters.
