Kiev [Ukraine], August 17: TASS news agency quoted Russian officials as saying that Ukrainian forces destroyed a bridge over the Seim River in the Glushkovsky district of Kursk province on August 16. The attack cut off the evacuation of residents from part of the district.
Governor Alexey Smirnov confirmed that the bridge over the Seim River was destroyed in a Ukrainian attack .
The Ukrainian Air Force posted a video on social media showing the moment of the massive explosion, with a large section of the bridge collapsing into the river. Given the scale of the explosion, the military magazine The War Zone suggests that Ukraine may have used JDAM-ER extended-range direct-attack bombs or Hammer guided bombs instead of GMLRS or HIMARS rockets. ATACMS missiles could also have caused such destruction, but the US has not yet authorized Ukraine to use these weapons in Kursk .
Earlier, Russian media and military bloggers said the bridge had been hit by two HIMARS rockets. Video posted showed a section of the bridge damaged and a burning vehicle on it. The bridge section then collapsed into the river after a second attack.
The destroyed bridge was one of three in the area and the furthest east from Ukrainian-controlled territory. Its destruction is believed to be a major blow to Russian supply efforts.
According to the MASH news site , the destroyed bridge has cut off 30 settlements in Glushkovsky and evacuation can now only be done by water.
From the beginning of the campaign on August 6 to August 15, Ukraine said it had controlled 1,150 square kilometers of Russian territory with 82 settlements.
According to The Kyiv Independent, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian army Oleksandr Syrskyi reported to President Volodymyr Zelensky on August 16 that forces had advanced 1-3 km in some areas of Kursk.
On August 16, Russia accused Ukraine of attacking a shopping mall in the city of Donetsk, causing a large fire that spread over 10,000 square meters. Donetsk's Central Hospital No. 14 was also damaged in the attack. Russian officials said at least 11 civilians were injured.
Donetsk is the capital of the region of the same name in eastern Ukraine. Russia controls the city.
On the same day, RT quoted a statement from Russian military journalists that Ukraine was preparing a false flag attack targeting the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, located in the province of the same name in southern Ukraine but controlled by Moscow.
Accordingly, Ukraine is said to have a plan to use a dirty bomb to attack the plant's radioactive waste storage facility. A dirty bomb is an explosive device that will spread radioactive substances after detonation. In addition to the Zaporizhzhia plant, Ukraine is also accused of plotting to attack the Kursk nuclear power plant in Russia's Kursk province.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi on the same day rejected the accusations, affirming that Ukraine has neither the intention nor the capacity to carry out such actions.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
