Ukraine has destroyed Russian pontoon bridges with US-made weapons to defend its incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, officials said.
Kyiv said US-manufactured HIMARS rocket systems had been used as part of operations to disrupt Russian logistics in the Kursk region, in Ukraine’s first official statement acknowledging its use of the weapon during its incursion.
Yesterday Ukraine launched its largest drone attack on Moscow since Vladimir Putin’s invasion began – its latest attempt to bring the war home to Russia as it continues its audacious cross-border incursion in Kursk.
Russia’s defence ministry said its air systems destroyed a total of 45 drones over its territory, including 11 over the Moscow region, 23 over the border region of Bryansk, six over the Belgorod region, three over the Kaluga region and two over the Kursk region.
Meanwhile in Russia, Orthodox priests deployed an icon and blessed fire engines at the scene of a huge fuel depot blaze that has been raging since a Ukrainian drone attack struck the facility on Sunday.
More than 500 firefighters are tackling the Rostov blaze, with at least 41 forced to seek medical care.
Key Points
- Russian priests bless fire trucks tackling massive blaze caused by Kyiv
- Footage shows Ukrainian destruction of Russian pontoon crossings in Kursk
- Ukraine says it hits pontoon bridges in Russia with US-made weapons
- Putin ally says West risks global war over Ukraine
A satellite image shows a bridge collapsed over the Seim River on Saturday near the town of Glushkovo.Planet Labs PBC via Reuters
The idea of creating a “buffer zone” was first voiced by Russian President Vladimir Putin after Moscow launched its own offensive on Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region in May, meant to protect the very border regions Ukraine has since swept into.
Instead, it now appears to be Zelenskyy who is pursuing a “buffer zone” to prevent Russian attacks on Ukrainian towns and villages across the border.
Putin has vowed to “squeeze out” the Ukrainians but faced growing questions over his response to the crisis. He is visiting Azerbaijan for a two-day state visit to discuss “strategic partnership and allied relations” between the two countries, according to the Kremlin, in a likely effort to project an image of stability.
For months before Ukraine's surprise offensive, the Kremlin had pushed for peace talks while it held the battlefield initiative.
But on Monday, presidential aide Yuri Ushakov ruled out negotiations for the time being after what he called Kyiv's “gamble” in Kursk, state news agency Tass reported. Moscow’s foreign ministry on Sunday denied a Washington Post report that the Kursk attack had derailed indirect talks with Kyiv for a landmark deal to halt strikes on critical infrastructure.
Ukraine halted at Bryansk border, Russia claims
07:42 , Alexander Butler
Vladimir Putin’s forces prevented a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance team from piercing the border in the western Bryansk region, about 240 km (150 miles) from Kursk, a Russian official claimed.
Bryansk governor Alexander Bogomaz said troops repelled Kyiv’s attack in the region on Wednesday, with Moscow claiming it had began to push back Ukrainian forces in Kursk.
He said the attempted incursion took place in the Klimovo district which borders Ukraine’s Chernihiv region. The Bryansk region lies northwest of the Kursk region where a Ukrainian incursion has been underway since early August.
Ukraine smashed through the Russian border in the Kursk region on Aug. 6 in an attempt to force Moscow to divert troops from the rest of the front, though Russian forces have continued to advance in eastern Ukraine in recent days.
Putin meets China’s Premier Li in new display of autocrat friendship
07:14 , Arpan Rai
Vladimir Putin met with Chinese premier Li Qiang yesterday as he hailed growing trade relations between the two countries, even as Moscow has become increasingly dependent on Beijing for political and economic support.
“Our trade relations are developing, developing successfully... The attention that the governments of the two countries on both sides are paying to trade and economic ties is yielding results,” Mr Putin said at the meeting in the Kremlin.
He also said that Russia and China have developed “large-scale plans” for economic and other projects.
“Chinese-Russian relations are at an unprecedentedly high level,” said Mr Li, who earlier had met with his Russian counterpart, prime minister Mikhail Mishustin.
The meeting took place as Russia struggled to push back a Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region now in its third week. And overnight, Moscow experienced one of the largest waves of drone attacks on the Russian capital since the start of the Ukraine conflict.
Russian news reports did not indicate whether Mr Putin discussed Ukraine with Mr Li.
Ukraine attempts to pierce Russian border again near Kursk, says Russia
07:01 , Arpan Rai
Russian forces prevented a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance team from piercing the border in the western Bryansk region, about 240km (150 miles) from the site of Ukraine’s incursion into the neighbouring Kursk region, a Russian official said.
Bryansk governor Alexander Bogomaz said that Federal Security Service border guards and Russian military units repelled an attack by a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance team yesterday.
He said the attempted incursion took place in the Klimovo district which borders Ukraine’s Chernihiv region. The Bryansk region lies northwest of the Kursk region where a Ukrainian incursion has been underway since early August.
Ukraine smashed through the Russian border in the Kursk region on 6 August in an attempt to force Moscow to divert troops from the rest of the front, though Russian forces have continued to advance in eastern Ukraine in recent days.
This comes as Russia’s defence ministry said it had shot down 28 drones over Russian territory in the early hours today, including 13 in the Volgograd region, seven in Rostov, four in Belgorod, two in Voronezh and one each in Bryansk and Kursk regions.
English (United States) ·