Ukraine appeared to have blown up a number of key bridges in the Kursk region over the weekend as its troops pressed on with a daring incursion into Russia that Kyiv now says was aimed at creating a buffer zone to stop attacks across the border.
Ukraine’s Air Force reported Sunday that a second bridge was destroyed in the Kursk region, saying it “deprives the enemy of its logistical capabilities” and “significantly affects the course of hostilities.” That comes after the country’s air force chief, Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk, released a video Friday of an airstrike that cut a bridge in two.
And early Monday, one of Russia’s influential war correspondents said that Kyiv may have targeted a third bridge over the Seim River, a possibly crucial step in disrupting supply lines to Russian forces trying to stop the Ukrainian advance in Kursk.
There was no official confirmation from Kyiv, and Moscow’s ministry of defense has not commented on any of the alleged bridge strikes. NBC News could not verify the reports of the destroyed bridges.
Kyiv says its forces are still advancing, after claiming to have seized more than 440 square miles of Russian territory in the surprise assault launched two weeks ago that has shaken up the dynamics of the war and posed a new challenge to the Kremlin.
It appears to have taken Russia completely off guard after months focused on a push in Ukraine’s east and the rest of the 600-mile frontline.
Ukrainian officials had hinted at a number of motivations for the surprise offensive, but on Sunday President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed the main goal of the operation in Kursk.
“It is now our primary task in defensive operations overall: to destroy as much Russian war potential as possible and conduct maximum counteroffensive actions,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address. “This includes creating a buffer zone on the aggressor’s territory — our operation in the Kursk region.”
The comment was his first official explanation for the operation, after days of speculation by military analysts about what objectives Ukraine might be pursuing in its risky assault.
The idea of creating a “buffer zone” was first voiced by Russian President Vladimir Putin after Moscow launched its own offensive on Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region in May, meant to protect the very border regions Ukraine has since swept into.
Instead, it now appears to be Zelenskyy who is pursuing a “buffer zone” to prevent Russian attacks on Ukrainian towns and villages across the border.
Read More: Ukraine blows up key bridges and says aim is to carve out a buffer zone inside Russia
