A key Russian bridge has been destroyed by Ukraine’s air force, with Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying Kyiv is “strengthening” its positions in the Kursk region.
Ukrainian air force commander Mykola Oleschuk shared a video of the moment when a bridge was hit by “high precision strikes” on Telegram.
The bridge – which crosses the River Seym – is near the town of Glushkovo and links areas of Kursk that are still controlled by Russia and areas where Ukraine has made advances over the last ten days.
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The destroyed bridge was near the Russian town of Glushkovo, in the Kursk region
Mr Oleschuk added that Ukrainian pilots had hit “enemy strongholds”, equipment, logistic centres, and supply routes in its “combat operations” in the region.
It came after the Ukrainian president insisted that the frontline is still the country’s “top priority,” despite Kyiv’s forces advancing up to 3km into the Kursk region.
Russian news agency TASS first reported that the bridge in the Kursk region was destroyed by Ukraine, which they said had made civilian evacuations in the local area harder.
Authorities are attempting to evacuate around 20,000 civilians from the region in the wake of Kyiv’s cross-border attack on 6 August.
Ukraine says its incursion into Russia is intended to protect Ukrainian lives by preventing cross-border attacks and diverting Russian reinforcements.
As a result of its attack, Kyiv now holds at least 175 square miles of Russian territory – less than 0.003% of the country.
How far has Ukraine advanced into the Kursk region
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Mr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, was briefed by armed forces commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi that Kyiv’s forces were advancing 1km to 3km into the Kursk region.
He also reported fighting in the area of Malaya Loknya, around 11.5km from the Ukrainian border.
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Mr Zelenskyy said on social media however that “the frontline remains our top priority, particularly the Pokrovsk and Toretsk directions” in the Donetsk region.
He said on Thursday those towns were “facing the most intense Russian assaults,” a day before Pokrovsk urged civilians to speed up their evacuation.
Local officials said on Telegram that Russian forces were “advancing at a fast pace”. They added: “With every passing day there is less and less time to collect personal belongings and leave for safer regions.”
It comes after Alexander Lukashenko – the president of Belarus and a key ally of Vladimir Putin – urged Ukraine and Russia to bring the war to an end.
He claimed only “high-ranking people of American origin” wanted the fighting to continue, and accused the West of wanting Ukraine and Russia to “destroy each other”.