Ukrainian invasion destroys key Russian bridge in Kursk region

Ukraine has destroyed a strategically important bridge over the Seym River as it continues its incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.

Russian officials were quoted as saying that the operation near the town of Glushkovo had cut off part of the local district.

The bridge was used by the Kremlin to resupply troops and destroying it could hinder their efforts.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Ukrainian military was strengthening its position in Kursk and called the occupied territories a barter pool, implying they could be exchanged for Ukrainian regions occupied by Moscow.

Now in its second week, it is Ukraine’s deepest incursion into Russia since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion more than two years ago.

Ukraine’s surprise cross-border operation has forced more than 120,000 people to flee to safety.

But as Ukraine claims territorial gains, Kiev has repeatedly insisted it has no interest in occupying Russia.

“Ukraine is not interested in occupying Russian territory,” a senior aide to Ukrainian President Zelensky said on Friday.

Mykhailo Podolyak said one of the main goals they wanted to achieve by infiltrating Russia was to force Moscow to negotiate “on our own terms”.

“In the Kursk region, we can clearly see that military tools are being used objectively to persuade Russia to enter into a fair negotiation process,” he wrote on X, adding that Kyiv has demonstrated “effective means of coercion.”

The head of the Ukrainian military, Oleksandr Syrsky, said on Friday that the offensive had made progress.

“The assault group’s soldiers continue to fight and have advanced in some areas by one to three kilometers towards the enemy,” he told President Zelensky in a video posted on social media.

Syrsky said he hoped to take “many prisoners” from the battle in the village of Mala Loknya, about 13km (8 miles) from the border.

As Ukrainian troops continue their advance, officials in Russia’s Belgorod region bordering Ukraine said they would evacuate five villages starting Monday.

“From August 19, we will close five settlements, relocate residents and help them move their property,” Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on the social messaging app Telegram, naming small villages near the border.

However, as Ukraine pushes deeper into Russia’s western territory, Russian forces are also making gains in eastern Ukraine.

On Friday, Moscow said its troops had captured Serhiivka, the latest in a string of towns captured by Russian forces in recent weeks.

The latest advances bring Russian troops closer to the city of Pokrovsk, a key logistics hub on the main route supplying Ukrainian troops along the eastern front.

Pokrovsk is located northwest of the Russian-controlled Donetsk region, which has been under attack by the Ukrainian army since Friday morning, injuring many civilians.

A message from the head of the city’s military administration, Sergiy Dobryak, urged residents to evacuate on Thursday as Russia was “rapidly advancing on the outskirts”.

Earlier, Russian-backed officials in Ukraine’s Moscow-controlled Donetsk region blamed Kyiv for an attack on a shopping mall that left at least seven people injured.

According to the governor of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic backed by Russia, Denis Pushilin, the city has been under shelling since midday on Friday.

Reuters news agency reported that in the past 24 hours, three civilians were killed and five others were injured, citing the head of the Donetsk region.

In Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, missiles targeting a bridge built on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin were shot down overnight, the Defense Ministry said on Telegram.

Kiev has launched several attacks and attempted to storm the Kerch Bridge since Moscow began its military offensive.