Ukraine presses Kursk front as it tests Moscow’s military power and disrupts Russian logistics
On the thirteenth day of its operation in Kursk, Ukrainian forces are aiming to affirm positions along this border region and challenge Moscow’s claim of military superiority, with Russian troops still pursuing mobile enemy groups. After yesterday’s strike destroyed a bridge over the Seim crucial for supplying Russian forces, Kyiv followed up this Sunday by targeting a second river crossing. Russian bloggers confirmed the attack, though the Defense Ministry of Russia did not publicly acknowledge it.
In the words of a Ukrainian air force official, the commander spoke of the ongoing success that disrupts the enemy’s logistical capabilities and, in turn, significantly influences the course of hostilities.
Turning the Seim into a natural barrier
A video released by Ukrainian forces shows the bridge partially destroyed by an explosion, while Russian bloggers share images of the damage, rendering the crossing impassable for vehicles while still allowing pedestrians to pass. Nevertheless, the Seim increasingly acts as a natural obstacle to Russian supply lines as they try to push Ukrainians out of these areas, with Ukrainian units using the situation to hold their ground.
The Ukrainian military is attempting to replicate the tactic seen in Kherson, where attacks on the Antonivskyi Bridge over the Dnipro forced Russian forces to abandon the city, the only regional capital they had captured since the invasion began.
The adviser to the mayor of Mariupol noted that destroying bridges over the Seim “puts the Russians at a crossroads: surrender, or drown in the river, or remain on the far side.” If Moscow chooses to stay on the near bank, it risks permanently losing Kursk-controlled zones and could hamper any counteroffensive toward Sumy.
Should Russian forces remain on the opposite bank, they would likely forfeit the chance to recover long-held Ukrainian territory and to mount a counterstrike in the broader region.
Ukraine erodes the image of Russian power
The rapid Ukrainian advance in Kursk and Russia’s difficulty in countering the offensive have exposed disorder and disunity at the highest levels of Moscow’s military leadership, according to a senior Ukrainian adviser. In an interview with The Independent, the adviser argued that the Russian armed forces “do not live up to their name,” and the internal chaos allowed Ukraine to exploit weaknesses.
He warned that Moscow’s propaganda-style portrayal of a highly organized, united military does not match the reality on the ground, a point that the Kursk operation clearly underscored.
Russian forces pursuing Ukrainian infiltrators
Meanwhile, Russian forces continue to hunt mobile Ukrainian units embedded in the frontier zone, aiming to eliminate as many enemy fighters and vehicles as possible. The Russian ministry of defense stated that units from the Sever (North) grouping rely on air power and artillery to locate and neutralize enemy mobile groups attempting to advance into Russian territory.
It was added that assault group attacks by three motorized brigades and a separate assault brigade near four regional localities were repelled, with a tank and several armored vehicles destroyed in the fighting.
Additionally, the Russian army harasses the enemy’s rear and destroyed an American-made M270 MLRS launcher in the Sumy region, where aviation also attacked Ukrainian reserves, depots, and fuel stores across six border districts.
Although Russian forces have yet to halt the Ukrainian incursion, the campaign has progressed and may continue for an extended period, delivering a blow to Russia’s reputation even as the Kremlin seems unfazed.
Rather than remaining in the Kremlin or Novo-Ogaryovo, President Vladimir Putin traveled to Azerbaijan to strengthen Moscow’s ties with Baku and discuss possible steps to end the broader conflict in the region.