Ukraine, Russia reveal they have destroyed second bridge

Ukraine says it has destroyed a second strategic bridge in a week as Russia continues its aggression in the Kursk region.

The Ukrainian military released footage on Sunday showing an airstrike on a bridge over the Seym River in Zvannoye.

“Another leg is missing,” Ukrainian Air Force Commander Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshuk posted on social media.

It has been nearly two weeks since Ukraine launched its largest attack on Russian territory since Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022.

“The Ukrainian Air Force aviation continues to deprive the enemy of his logistics capabilities through precision strikes, which significantly affects the course of hostilities,” General Oleshuk added.

Footage shows large plumes of smoke rising from the bridge, and a section of the bridge appears to have been destroyed. It is unclear when the strike occurred.

Earlier this week, Ukraine destroys another bridge on Seymour RiverNear the village of Glushkovo.

The bridge was used by the Kremlin to supply supplies to the army.

According to Reuters, military analysts previously identified three bridges Russia uses to supply its troops, two of which were destroyed or badly damaged.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday: The army was strengthening its positions at Kursk. It was further expanded in Russia.

In a speech Sunday evening, he said: “Our operation in the Kursk region continues to inflict losses on the Russian Armed Forces, the Russian state, the defense industry and the economy.”

President Zelensky’s adviser, Mikhail Podolyak, has insisted that Ukraine has no interest in taking over Russia and wants to persuade Russia to come to the negotiating table.

Moscow has described the intrusion as a grave provocation and vowed to retaliate with a “proper response.”

As Ukraine advances further into Russia’s western territories, Russian forces have also expanded their presence in eastern Ukraine, capturing several towns in recent weeks.

It comes as the head of the UN nuclear watchdog warned that the nuclear safety situation is worsening after a drone strike near the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Russian-occupied Ukraine.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said he was “extremely concerned” and urged “maximum restraint on all sides” to protect nuclear power plants.

The news agency said the strike was felt on a road just outside the facility, close to a vital watering pond and about 100 metres from the only remaining high-voltage power line.

The factory was captured by Russian forces early in the war and was repeatedly attacked thereafter, with both sides blaming the other.

Last week in Kiev and Moscow After a fire broke out in one of the plant’s cooling towers, blame was placed on each other.

The IAEA did not say who carried out Saturday’s strike, but an IAEA team based in Zaporizhzhia said the damage appeared to have been caused by a drone carrying explosives.

“The team heard frequent explosions and repeated machine gun and rifle fire and artillery fire at various distances from the factory,” the agency said in a statement.

The plant has not produced power for more than two years, and all six reactors have been in a cold shutdown state since April.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022 and has recently made slow progress in seizing more territory in eastern Ukraine.

But the Ukrainian military was shocked when it infiltrated the Kursk region, where it had been holding its ground for about two weeks.

Thousands of Russians were evacuated from the area.

This is the first time that foreign troops have entered Russian territory since World War II.