Ukraine destroys second bridge in Kursk territory

Zelensky reveals military is creating a 'buffer zone' in Russia.

- ANDY GREGORY

Ukraine's invading troops have destroyed a second bridge in Kursk, as president Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv aimed to create a "buffer zone" with its incursion into Russian territory.

Giving the clearest indication yet of Kyiv’s aims since troops and tanks poured across the border into Russia nearly a fortnight ago, the president suggested that Ukraine hoped to drain Vladimir Putin’s attacking capabilities with its attack on Russian soil.

Speaking in his nightly address, Mr Zelensky said: “It is now our primary task in defensive operations overall to destroy as much Russian war potential as possible and conduct maximum counteroffensive actions.”

He added: “This includes creating a buffer zone on the aggressor’s territory – our operation in the Kursk region.”

While he did not comment on the operation in its early phases, Mr Zelensky previously noted that the Kursk region had been used by Russia to launch nearly 2,000 strikes into Ukraine’s Sumy region since the start of the summer.

Now it is Ukraine’s forces who are fighting within Kursk, with the commander of Kyiv’s air force General Mykola Oleshchuk stating on Sunday that Russia was “minus one more bridge”.