Ukrainian forces used American-made HIMARS missile systems to destroy floating bridges and engineering equipment in Russia’s Kursk region, targeting logistics infrastructure during their large cross-border incursion, the Ukrainian military announced today.
Russian officials have stated that Ukraine damaged or destroyed at least three bridges over the Seym River since Kyiv launched a large attack inside western Russia on August 6, advancing 28-35 kilometers into Russian territory.
“Where did the floating bridges in the Kursk region ‘disappear’ to? Our operators… precisely destroyed them,” Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces announced in a Telegram post.
The announcement confirmed that American-made HIMARS missile systems were used. It marks the first official statement from Kyiv that Western weapons are part of this unprecedented attack.
Washington has not commented directly on the use of American-made weapons in the Kursk region, reiterating that its policies remain unchanged and that Ukraine is defending against Russian attacks.
Although Ukraine’s allies have prohibited it from carrying out attacks with Western weapons inside Russia, they have allowed Kyiv to use them to strike border areas since Russia began its new offensive in the Kharkiv region this spring.
The Kremlin has described the use of American weapons within Russian territory as an escalation.
A video posted by Ukraine’s special forces shows attacks on several floating crossings. At least one of the attacks appears to use cluster munitions.
Reuters could not independently verify the announcement or the video.
The video also shows drone attacks on military trucks and other locations identified as ammunition depots and an electronic warfare complex.
Reuters was able to verify that at least one floating bridge appears to have been destroyed.
It was likely placed between August 14 and 17, between the Russian settlements of Zvanoye and Glushkovo, after two bridges were destroyed or damaged earlier.
The crossing, located about 14 kilometers from the border, disappeared on August 19, as shown by satellite images. Smoke was also visible in images from the area that day.
While Kyiv has reported a series of battlefield successes since unexpectedly advancing into Russia’s Kursk region on August 6, Russia is pushing forward on the frontlines in eastern Ukraine, two and a half years after its full-scale invasion.
In recent days, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that its forces took control of several settlements in the area, including Zelane and Sviridonivka, as well as the city of New York, about 46 kilometers from Porkovsk.
The Ukrainian military has not directly commented on these claims but reports that fierce fighting continues in the area.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the advance in the Kursk region has yielded greater gains than those Russia achieved with the territories it has seized since the beginning of the war.
