AIR ATTACK Moment Ukraine blasts ANOTHER key bridge in Kursk as Zelensky’s forces push deeper to cut off Russian troops
UKRAINE has bombed another key bridge in Kursk and left a giant hole as it tries to cut off scrambling Russian troops.
New footage shows the moment a second span across the River Seym was hammered in a matter of days by a targeted strike
A massive hole has been left by the precision strike making it impassable for vehicles, but the span does not fully collapse.
It was not immediately clear what type of bomb had hit the bridge.
But, the Ukrainian Air Force claimed responsibility and said it had used a "precise strike from the air".
The bridge is next to the town of Zvannoe and is 8km west of another bridge on the same river that Ukraine destroyed
Friday.The bridges are a crucial supply point for Putin as they are near the Ukrainian border and cross the Seym River.
If Ukraine can destroy them, they would largely cut Russian troops off on the Ukrainian side despite the soldiers being in their own country.
But, satellite imagery shows Russia has already built a temporary bridge further down the river in response.
An earlier less successful strike on the first bridge had left burnt out holes and scorch marks across it.
Like that span, Ukraine could try again and get the newly bombed bridge to collapse in a follow-up strike.
Russian bloggers are now asking for donations of boats so that locals are able to cross the riverFootage on social media showed an elderly lady having to be supported as she crossed on a makeshift vessel.
Ukraine invaded Russia on August 6 and has since captured dozens of towns and capturing 1,150 square kilometres of territory.
Troops have reached 35km (21 miles) inside Russia after the surprise breakthrough and continue to push forward.
Putin has been humiliated by the invasion, which captured the same amount of land in eight days as Russia had in eight months.
Ukraine also struck a oil depot in southern Russia overnight.
Footage also released by Ukraine shows gigantic flames shooting into the sky and thick black smoke pouring out of the Proletarsk fuel plant.
Ukraine smashed the facility 125 miles inside southern Russia with a series of kamikaze drone strikes.
Inside Ukraine's invasion of Russia
Why has the Ukrainian invasion of Russia been so successful?
A DARING Ukrainian military push into Russia's Kursk region has become the largest attack on the country since World War Two.
Kyiv's forces have seized scores of villages, taken hundreds of prisoners and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of civilians.
After more than a week of fighting, Russian troops are still struggling to drive out the invaders.
Why has Russian military been caught so unprepared?
- A long undefended border
Russia's regions of Kursk, Bryansk and Belgorod share a 720-mile border with Ukraine - including a 152-mile section in the Kursk region.
And it only had symbolic protection before Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022.
It's been reinforced since then with checkpoints on key roads and field fortifications in places - but not enough to repel a Ukrainian assault.
The most capable Russian units are fighting in eastern Ukraine, leaving the border vulnerable to attack.
- Element of surprise
Ukrainian troops participating in the incursion were reportedly only told about their mission a day before it began.
The secrecy contrasted with last year's counteroffensive - when Ukraine openly declared its goal of cutting the land corridor to annexed Crimea.
Ukraine ended up failing as troops trudged through Russian minefields and were pummelled by artillery and drones.
But in Kursk, Ukrainian troops didn't face any of these obstacles.
Battle-hardened units easily overwhelmed Russian border guards and small infantry units made up of inexperienced conscripts.
The Ukrainians drove deep into the region in several directions - facing little resistance and sowing chaos and panic.
- Russia's slow response
The Russian military command initially relied on warplanes and choppers to try to stop the onslaught.
At least one Russian helicopter gunship was shot down and another was damaged.
Moscow began pulling in reinforcements, managing to slow Ukraine's advances - but failed to completely block troops.
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