Military & Defense
Russia keeps trying to replace the bridges that Ukraine destroys. Ukraine is taking out those, too.
Mia Jankowicz Aug 22, 2024, 8:47 AM EDT
A screenshot from drone video shared by Ukrainian special operations forces on August 21, 2024. It appears to show engineering equipment attempting to lay down a pontoon bridge platform on the Seym River, in Kursk, Western Russia, amid Ukraine's incursion into the region.
Special Operations Forces of Ukraine/Telegram
Ukraine says it is destroying Russian pontoon bridges in Kursk before they can even be constructed.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian special forces released a video compilation that appeared to show attacks on several Russian efforts to build pontoons, or temporary floating bridges.
"Where do Russian pontoon bridges 'disappear' in the Kursk region?" wrote Ukraine's Special Operations Forces Telegram account, adding that its soldiers "accurately destroy them," according to Reuters' translation.
The claim comes after reports that Ukrainian forces had destroyed three permanent bridges over the Seym river in the western Russian region, in an apparent effort to isolate Russian forces there.
The footage, which Business Insider was unable to verify, was shared on the 16th day of Ukraine's incursion into Russian territory.
As of Monday, Ukrainian forces were "striking pontoon bridges and engineering equipment in the western part of their operational zone in the Glushkovo district," the Ukrainian think tank the Centre for Defence Strategies reported.
Satellite imagery seen by the Associated Press showed pontoons at two locations along the Seym.
One of them, between Glushkovo and Zvannoye, was visible in the imagery as of Sunday — but by Monday it had disappeared, with smoke rising nearby, the news agency reported.
The images were shared on X by Radio Free Europe reporter Mark Krutov:
A low-res @planet satellite image taken today, Aug. 19th, shows that the Russian pontoon bridge between Zvannoye and Glushkovo in Kursk oblast is gone, with smoke rising 500 meters away from where it used to be, on the 'Russian' bank. Makes sense if we speak about the withdrawal. pic.twitter.com/YxtaNeyOzh
— Mark Krutov (@kromark) August 19, 2024
Ukraine says it has captured just under 500 square miles of territory in Kursk, and has set up a military headquarters there, in a sign that it intends to dig in for a while.
On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he intended to create a buffer zone in the region.
The bridges destroyed so far are all along the Seym; their destruction appears to be an attempt to pin Russian troops between Ukrainian-controlled territory, the Ukrainian border, and the river, the AP reported.
The footage shared by Ukraine's special forces on Wednesday appeared to show drones targeting engineering equipment on the banks of the Seym being used to lay down the temporary bridges.
Other clips show vehicles — presumably carrying the necessary equipment — also being taken out by drones.
