Volodymyr Zelensky reveals why Ukraine attacked Kursk region
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke on Sunday about the offensive in Kursk Oblast, saying earlier that the operation was aimed at protecting communities from ongoing shelling in the Sumy region bordering Kursk Oblast.
The destroyed bridge over the Sejm River in the Głuków area (Kursk Oblast)
Planet Labs Inc./Distributed via Reuters
“Our main task now in defensive operations is to destroy as much of Russia’s war potential as possible and to carry out maximum offensive countermeasures,” he said in a speech on Sunday evening posted on social media. He revealed that this included creating a buffer zone on the territory of the aggressor, noting that it was about the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ operation in the Kursk region.
On Friday, Ukrainian forces destroyed a key road bridge in the Zhukovsky district of the Kursk region and damaged another crossing in the area, disrupting Russian logistics. Russian military bloggers acknowledged that the attack on the bridge over the Sigma River near Glushkov would hamper the supply of supplies to Russian Armed Forces soldiers trying to repel the attacking Ukrainian forces. Ukrainian Air Force Commander-in-Chief Colonel Mykola Olchuk posted on social media a recording of the moment of the attack on the bridge. According to the Mash channel on Telegram, after the Ukrainians targeted two bridges over the Sigma River, the Russians were left with only one crossing in the area. The destruction of this bridge would leave about 2,000 Russian soldiers trapped.
Ukrainian operation in Kursk region, as of 15:00 August 17
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