Ukraine has destroyed a strategically important bridge over the river Seym, as it continues its incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.
Russian officials have been quoted as saying the operation near the town of Glushkovo has cut off part of the local district.
The bridge was used by the Kremlin to supply its troops and its destruction could hamper their efforts.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian troops were strengthening their positions in Kursk, and called the captured territories an exchange fund, implying they could be swapped for Ukrainian regions occupied by Moscow.
Now in its second week, this is Ukraine’s deepest incursion into Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion more than two years ago.
Ukraine’s surprise cross-border operation has resulted in more than 120,000 people fleeing to safety.
But amid Ukrainian claims of territorial gains, Kyiv has repeatedly maintained it does not wish to occupy Russia.
“Ukraine is not interested in occupying Russian territories,” a senior aide to Ukrainian President Zelensky said on Friday.
Mykhailo Podolyak said one of the key objectives they wanted out of their incursion into Russia was to get Moscow to negotiate “on our terms”.
“In the Kursk region, we can see how the military tool is being used objectively to persuade Russia to enter a fair negotiation process,” he wrote on X, adding Kyiv has proven “effective means of coercion”.
The head of the Ukrainian military, Oleksandr Syrsky, said on Friday that the offensive had made further progress.
“The troops of the offensive group continue to fight and have advanced in some areas from one to three kilometers towards the enemy,” he told President Zelensky in a video posted on social media.
