Why is Ukraine destroying bridges in Russia’s Kursk?

Russian officials say that a third bridge has been targeted in the Kursk region, causing concern from Moscow military bloggers that troops could be trapped

Ukraine has damaged or destroyed three bridges in the Russian region of Kursk as they attempt to consolidate positions gained during their ambitious cross-border assult and cut off supplies to Moscow’s troops.

The first bridge was destroyed in the village of Glushkovo, around eight miles west of Ukrainian troops inside of Russia, on Friday.

The second was destroyed on Saturday in the village of Zvannoye, a further five miles westward.

The third bridge reportedly destroyed on Sunday night is in the village of Karyzh, a further four miles westward.

All three bridges run over the Seym river that runs through the Kursk region. If Ukraine confirms the destruction of the third bridge, that would mean that Russian forces are now reliant on receiving military equipment via a makeshift pontoon bridge, according to analysts.

The purpose of targeting these bridges is to sever Russian supply lines and trap Moscow’s troops.

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When Ukraine’s air force posted footage of the second bridge being blown up on Saturday, their commander Mykola Oleschuk wrote on the Telegram messenger app: “The aviation of the Air Force continues to deprive the enemy of logistical capabilities with accurate air strikes, which significantly affects the course of hostilities!”

Russian forces fighting between the Seym River and the Ukrainian border may now be stuck, trapped by the waterway behind them and running along their left flank, and the Ukrainian forces trying to advance in front of them and the Ukrainian border on the Russian’s soldiers’ right flank. The Seym and the Ukrainian border intersect near the Ukrainian town of Hirky, around six miles from the allegedly latest bridge strike in the Russian village of Karyzh.

The Centre for Defence Strategies, a Ukrainian security think tank, wrote that this indicates “that the objective [of Ukrainian forces] is to take control of a portion of Kursk Oblast south of the Seym River.

If Ukrainian forces were to take that area, roughly 221 square miles worth of territory, it would enlarge the area of the Kursk region that they control by almost 50 per cent.

Previous estimates from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US-based think tank, suggested that Ukrainian forces had taken around 300 square miles. The attack, which appears as a bulge into mainland Russia, is around 37 miles wide and almost 17 miles deep.