In the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, significant developments have emerged recently with both sides claiming progress in the southern Russian oblast of Kursk. The Ukrainian government asserts that its forces are advancing into this area, while the Kremlin maintains that its troops successfully eliminated an entire reconnaissance and sabotage group in western Kursk on Friday.
The veracity of each side’s account of events remains unclear amidst the fog of war, but the most significant development at the end of last week involved the destruction of a critical Russian bridge on Friday. The Amsterdam-based Moscow Times has reported that “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 People’s Front, pro-war bloggers said.
Later on Friday, the same source reported that the bridge collapsed after being hit by a U.S.-supplied HIMARS rocket. This refers to the US Army’s M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), which can be equipped with either mid-range or long-range missiles. Aerial images and videos have been circulating throughout the day, and Acting Kursk region governor Alexei Smirnov has confirmed that the bridge collapsed.
The destroyed bridge was located approximately seven miles north of the Ukrainian border and served as a crucial supply and logistics route for Russian forces fighting off cross-border incursions. By specifically targeting this infrastructure, Ukraine may be attempting to solidify control over the Glushkovsky district, creating a significant geographical barrier that would protect the Seym River from Russian troops.
If it is true that a U.S.-supplied HIMARS rocket struck and destroyed the bridge, this could mark a turning point in the conflict, with Ukraine’s forces on Russian soil using American heavy rocket systems to take out major infrastructure.
Ukraine’s air force claims responsibility for taking out the bridge, while RIA also reported that a Russian security official said small arms manufactured by the United States and Sweden were seized at the site where a Ukrainian sabotage group was eliminated near the village of Kremyanoe in the Kursk region.
These developments make it evident that Western-supplied weapons are playing a significant role in Ukraine’s invasion of Russia’s southern oblasts.
