A soldier repairs a drone underground at a Ukrainian military position and a former Russian military position in Kursk, Russia, on August 18, 2024. Ukrainian forces operating in Russia’s Kursk region destroyed a second important bridge as they tried to penetrate further into Russia, a Ukrainian air force commander said.
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Ukrainian forces said they blew up a second strategic bridge in Russia’s Kursk region as Kiev continued its incursion, with Moscow yet to mount a forceful response to the ambitious cross-border operation.
According to the Wall Street Journal, as many as 5,000 Ukrainian soldiers are involved in the invasion of Russian territory that began about two weeks ago Report. Kyiv claims it has taken control of 82 settlements in the area covering 1,150 square kilometers (444 square miles) since the border raids began.
Ukrainian forces are focusing their attacks on key transport and fuel infrastructure in Kursk to make it more difficult for Russia to resource and supply its forces fighting in eastern and southern Ukraine.
On Friday, Ukraine said its troops destroyed a key bridge over the Sym River in Kursk that was reportedly used to transport equipment to the front lines. Russian officials confirmed attack He said the destruction of the bridge would hamper continued efforts to evacuate thousands of citizens in the area.
On August 17, 2024, in the Kursk region of Russia, the conflict between Russian and Ukrainian troops continued, and citizens were evacuated from border settlements to safe areas. Evacuation organization.
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Saturday night, Ukrainian troops attack Russian oil depot in Rostov region Supplying oil to the Russian army. Commenting on the attack, the General Staff of Ukraine said that “measures to undermine the military and economic potential of the Russian Federation continue.”
The Ukrainian air force on Sunday claimed to have destroyed a second bridge in Kursk that Russia had used to supply its troops. Aerial footage posted on social media The explosion allegedly caused a large hole in the bridge in Zvanno. CNBC could not independently verify the footage.
“Another bridge is missing,” Lieutenant General Mykola Oreshuk, commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, commented on Telegram.
The Ukrainian air force “continues to deprive the enemy of its logistical capabilities through precision air strikes, 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 Russian border during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on August 12, 2024.
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Russia has yet to launch a forceful counteroffensive against the Ukrainian invasion, and even Russian military bloggers have criticized the military for failing to foresee the Ukrainian invasion and for being slow to respond to the operation.
Defense analysts say Ukraine’s invasion of Kursk continues to force Russia to redeploy troops from elsewhere in the war zone, with analysts at the Institute for War think tank noting that “the subsequent phase of fighting in Russia is likely to require Russia to commit additional manpower to the region.” and supplies.
ISW analysts further said on Sunday that Russia’s redeployment to Kursk allowed its forces to slow Ukraine’s initial rapid advances in the region and begin to contain the reach of Ukraine’s offensive.
However, they stressed that “containment is only the first phase in Russia’s response in Kursk and is likely to be the least resource-intensive.”
On August 13, 2024, during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in the Sumy region, a Ukrainian military vehicle drove from the direction of the border with Russia, carrying blindfolded men wearing Russian military uniforms.
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The Russian army may launch a coordinated counteroffensive to retake the Kursk Oblast (region) territory captured by the Ukrainian army, but it is too early to assess when the Russian army will be able to completely stop the Ukrainian advance in the Kursk Oblast and seize the battlefield initiative .
“Possible future Russian counteroffensive efforts are likely to require Russia to commit additional manpower, equipment and materiel to Kursk,” ISW added. He outlined that the exact scope of a sustained counteroffensive needed to push Ukrainian forces back to the border would depend on The strength of the Kiev army in defending Russian occupied positions.
“war potential”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that Ukraine’s main goal is to destroy “Russia’s war potential” and create a “buffer zone” to prevent Russian attacks on its borders.
“Now our top priority in overall defense operations is: to destroy as much as possible Russia’s war potential and to conduct maximum counter-offensive operations. This includes the creation of a buffer zone on the territory of the aggressor – our operations in the Kursk region ,” Zelensky said in a night speech.
He added: “Everything that costs the Russian military, the Russian state, its military-industrial complex and its economy helps prevent the expansion of the war and brings us closer to a just end to this aggression – a just peace for Ukraine. “
On August 16, 2024, in Sumy Oblast, Ukraine, a pickup truck carrying Ukrainian soldiers drove towards the Russian border. The fighting in the Kursk region began on August 6, 2024, when Ukrainian armed forces crossed the Russian-Ukrainian border near the city of Sudja and began to penetrate deep into Russian territory. Within days, they took control of dozens of settlements in the Kursk region. .
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The Ukrainian president said military chief Alexander Silsky briefed him on the situation in Kursk and hinted at the challenges of arming Ukrainian forces fighting in the Russian region.
He also called on Western allies to transfer weapons and ammunition promised in the military aid plan to Ukraine as soon as possible.
“Our personnel are doing a great job in every aspect. However, our partners need to move supplies faster. We urge this. There are no holidays in war. Decisions need to be made to provide timely delivery of announced aid. Logistics are also packaged,” Zelensky said.
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