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Source: Global Times

[Global Times Special Correspondent Chen Yang Liu Yupeng] The exchange of fire between the Ukrainian and Russian troops in the Kursk region is becoming increasingly intense. The Ukrainian army used long-range guided weapons to blow up two bridges in the region, trying to recreate the previous battle in the Kherson region and force the Russian troops on the front line to retreat by cutting off the Russian army's supply lines. The Russian army retaliated tit-for-tat and destroyed two "HIMARS" long-range rocket launcher systems in the rear of the Ukrainian army. However, even Western media generally believe that the Ukrainian army's current offensive in Kursk has not changed the situation on the main battlefield in eastern Ukraine.

The picture of the bombed bridge. (Source: Russian media)

Is it a rocket or a guided bomb?

According to Reuters on the 17th, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zakharova said: "The Kursk region was attacked for the first time by Western-made rocket launchers, possibly the US 'HIMARS' rocket launcher." Zakharova also said: "Due to the attack on the Seym River Bridge in the Glushkovsky area, the bridge was completely destroyed." Alexi Smirnov, acting governor of Kursk Oblast, confirmed that a highway bridge over the Seym River was destroyed by an Ukrainian army attack.

The U.S. website "Dynamics" said that this may be the biggest logistical blow suffered by the Russian army since the conflict broke out in the Kursk direction. The Seym River winds through most of Kursk and flows into Ukraine downstream. The destroyed bridge is one of the three cross-river bridges in the area, located farthest east, less than 10 miles from the Ukrainian-controlled area. It is said that the Ukrainian army has attempted to destroy the bridge at least three times recently. The first two times the bridge was hit by guided rockets fired by the "HIMARS" rocket launcher system, but the bridge deck was only damaged and not destroyed.

As for what weapons the Ukrainian army used to destroy the bridge, there are different opinions. Russian media and military bloggers said that the bridge was hit by two precision-guided rockets fired from the HIMARS long-range rocket launcher in Ukraine. Photos and videos posted on Russian social media show that part of the bridge deck near Glushkovsky has completely collapsed, and there is a burning car on the remaining bridge deck. However, "Power" believes that judging from the serious damage to the bridge, it is unlikely that the guided rockets fired by the HIMARS or M270 long-range rocket launchers have such powerful destructive power, unless the more powerful "Army Tactical Missile" (ATACMS) is used, which can also be launched by these two rocket launcher systems. Another possibility is that it was an air strike launched by Ukrainian fighter jets. The US-made JDAM-ER satellite-guided bombs and French-made "Hammer" aviation-guided bombs currently provided to Ukrainian fighter jets by the West have the ability to glide and destroy important targets from dozens of kilometers away. As evidence, the Ukrainian Air Force posted a video on social media showing the moment the bridge was blown up. The video said, "The Ukrainian Air Force Aviation actively participated in combat operations in the Kursk direction, and Ukrainian pilots carried out high-precision strikes on enemy strongholds, equipment, logistics centers and supply lines."

As for why the Ukrainian army launched an attack on the bridge, Russian military analysts believe that this move is a signal that Ukraine is trying to occupy the Glushkovsky area. According to a Russian military social media account, roughly speaking, the Ukrainian army has three plans in the area: if the progress goes well, use long-range artillery to control the E38 highway from Glushkovsky to Kursk. The highway is located about 15 miles north of Glushkovsky and is an important east-west artery in central Kursk Oblast; if the progress is not smooth, the Ukrainian army can try to expand the occupied area and approach the high ground on the banks of the Seym River in order to gain favorable bargaining chips in negotiations; because "the Ukrainian army is unlikely to launch a direct attack on the Kursk nuclear power plant, and it has no political significance", it may consider further advancing into the depths of Kursk, but this not only takes time to reorganize, but also requires a large number of troops, so this possibility is also unlikely. The Russian Ministry of Defense said on the 18th that "Russia will immediately take tough military measures if Ukraine begins to implement strikes on the Kursk nuclear power plant."

However, some analysts believe that satellite photos show that the Ukrainian army in the Kursk direction has begun to build fortifications extensively, and it is obvious that they have switched to defense, which is consistent with the Western prediction that the Ukrainian army has limited total forces in this direction and it is difficult to continue to advance. Therefore, the Ukrainian army destroyed the bridge over the Seym River not only to cut off the Russian army's supply in the area and force the opponent to withdraw as soon as possible, but also to increase the difficulty of the Russian army's subsequent counterattack.

The Moscow Komsomolets reported on the 18th that according to the telegram account Mash, the Ukrainian army attacked the second bridge over the Seym River in the Kursk region. At the same time, Russian military journalist Yuri Kotnok also released a photo showing a huge hole in the bridge after the missile attack. The Russian Ministry of Defense did not comment on the news. Russia's Avia.pro website said on the 18th that the Ukrainian army tried to continue to attack the transportation lines in the Kursk region and planned to destroy the remaining bridge over the Seym River.

The picture of the bombed bridge. (Source: Russian media)

Russian troops focus on attacking armored targets

The Russian army also responded tit-for-tat to the Ukrainian army's use of long-range guided weapons to attack the Russian army's logistics supply lines. A video released by the Russian Ministry of Defense showed that two Ukrainian army's "HIMARS" long-range rocket launcher systems were destroyed in Sumy Oblast, Ukraine, which borders Kursk.

According to the Russian Satellite News Agency on the 17th, the Russian Ministry of Defense said in the battle report of "Counterattack against Ukrainian Army's Invasion of Russia's Kursk Oblast" that in the past 24 hours, 220 Ukrainian soldiers were killed or wounded, 19 armored vehicles (4 tanks, 8 armored personnel carriers and 7 armored vehicles) and 7 cars, 3 "HIMARS" rocket launchers, 2 transport loaders and 2 field artillery were destroyed.

The Wall Street Journal of the United States stated on the 17th that the earlier successful raid of the Ukrainian army in the Kursk region was related to Ukraine's careful preparation. According to the report, as early as earlier this summer, Ukraine began to use drones to attack Kursk's infrastructure, including power grids, ammunition depots, fuel depots and border surveillance equipment. At the same time, the Ukrainian military intelligence agency organized several cross-border reconnaissance operations to detect the weak links of the Russian army in the direction of Kursk. Two weeks before the cross-border operation began, Ukrainian drones destroyed the observation system of a Russian border post on the road to Kursk.

It is said that Ukraine had previously drawn elite troops and equipment from all over the country to lurk in forests and villages near the Kursk border. In the early morning of August 6, when the Ukrainian vanguard crossed the border, several Russian troops found that their drones and communication systems were not working. This is because Ukraine's electronic warfare forces entered Russian territory before the main mechanized assault forces, interfering with Russian equipment to prevent Russian troops from accurately locating Ukrainian positions or intercepting their communications.

But the US media admitted that the Russian counterattack, especially the air strikes, has seriously affected the Ukrainian army's operations. A Ukrainian soldier admitted that in order to get supplies from Ukraine, the Ukrainian logistics troops had to change their marching routes every day because the Russian army was constantly attacking the roads used by the Ukrainian army. At the same time, the glide bombs dropped by Russian fighters posed a greater threat.

The battlefield in eastern Ukraine has entered a critical period

Although the battle in Kursk has attracted great attention from the outside world, Western analysts admit that the fundamental situation of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is still determined in the eastern part of Ukraine. Reuters quoted Western military analysts as saying that Ukraine's attack on Kursk was to some extent intended to disperse the Russian reserve forces as reinforcements. However, after this round of Ukrainian offensive, there was no sign of abating the military pressure on the eastern front of Ukraine, and the most intense fighting in weeks took place near the key Pokrovsk.

The New York Times cited open source battlefield maps and reported that Russian troops in eastern Ukraine are approaching Pokrovsk, an important logistics center of Ukraine, "which makes people doubt whether Ukraine's intention to launch a new offensive against western Russia and prompt Moscow to reduce its attacks elsewhere on the battlefield is really feasible."