Frontline report: Strategic bridge destruction in Kursk Oblast cuts off thousands of Russians from retreat

23 August 2024.

Today, there are a lot of new developments in the Kursk direction.

After the confirmed destruction of three bridges over the Seym River, as analyzed in our previous report, several military analysts anticipate that Ukrainian forces will now shift their focus to the western flank of the incursion. In the coming days and weeks, their efforts are likely to concentrate on tightening control over the newly formed cauldron, where a significant number of Russian soldiers could find themselves encircled and cut off from retreat.

This strategy aims to capitalize on the current momentum, potentially leading to further entrapment and surrender of Russian forces.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently announced that Ukrainian forces have successfully expanded their zone of control in Kursk, deepening it from 28 to 35 kilometers and now covering approximately 1,250 square kilometers, including 92 settlements. The potential capture of a bridgehead, bordered to the north by the Seym River, could further extend this area by additional 700 square kilometers, significantly bolstering the territory under Ukrainian control.

Ukraine cut off almost entire Glushkovo district in Kursk, Russians say

In recent days, military analysts have explored the strategic reasoning behind the staggered destruction of the three bridges over the Seym River. Instead of attacking all the bridges simultaneously, Ukrainian forces chose to destroy them over several days, when the first option would have increased the number of Russian forces cut off from their supply lines on the left bank of the river, creating an operational encirclement.

Analysts conclude that this approach was likely intended to offer Russian troops a window to withdraw, thereby minimizing unnecessary Ukrainian losses in battles for these territories. By doing so, Ukrainian forces presented the Russian command with a difficult choice: either maintain their positions under increasingly untenable conditions, risking encirclement, or withdraw as many troops as possible before the situation deteriorates further.

With all three bridges now destroyed, isolating the cauldron has become a top priority for Ukrainian forces. Some Russian analysts have suggested that Russian troops might attempt to address the logistical challenges by deploying pontoon bridges, small barges, or inflatable boats. However, this area is already under close Ukrainian surveillance. The first Russian pontoon bridges, set up approximately three kilometers north of Glushkovo, were swiftly destroyed by Ukrainian forces. This was confirmed by satellite imagery and NASA FIRMS data, which detects thermal anomalies on the ground in real-time, typically used for forest fire monitoring. Geolocated images of FPV drone attacks later surfaced, corroborating these strikes on the pontoon bridges and military engineering units.

FPV drones destroying Russian equipment in Kursk Ukrainian SOF's Requiem Group showed strikes on Russian logistics and engineering assets near a pontoon bridge over the Seym River, and stuck tanks.

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