Ukrainian forces on Friday destroyed a key bridge in Russias southwestern Kursk region, disrupting a link between Russian-controlled areas and those where Kyiv has made incremental advances, according to pro-Kremlin media and military bloggers.The bridge, which spanned the Seym River near the town of Glushkovo, was partially damaged earlier in the day in an attack that killed two volunteer workers from the All-Russia Peoples Front, pro-war bloggers said.Later on Friday, the bridge collapsed after being struck by a U.S.-supplied HIMARS rocket, the Kremlin-aligned Mash Telegram news channel reported, publishing images of the destroyed structure.Acting Kursk region governor Alexei Smirnov later confirmed the bridge collapse, adding that he wasin touch with the local authorities.
He did not provide further details.The independent investigative news outlet IStories reported that the Russian military had been using the bridge to supply its forces with arms and equipment in the Glushkovsky district, an area under a mandatory evacuation order.
The bridge was located approximately 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) north of the Ukrainian border.Military blogger Roman Alekhin, an adviser to Smirnov, suggested that Ukrainian forces destroyed the bridge as part of a broader strategy to gain control of the Glushkovsky district.
The district, which is near an area believed to be under Ukrainian control, is largely separated from the rest of the Kursk region by the Seym River.