Russia says Ukraine used Western rockets to destroy bridge in Kursk region

Russia accuses Ukraine of using U.S.-made rockets to destroy a bridge, killing volunteers in Kursk region conflict.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said Ukraine had used Western rockets, likely U.S.-made HIMARS, to destroy a bridge over the Seym river in the Kursk region, killing volunteers trying to evacuate civilians.

"For the first time, the Kursk region was hit by Western-made rocket launchers, probably American HIMARS," Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said late on Friday (August 16, 2024) on the Telegram messaging app.

"As a result of the attack on the bridge over the Seym River in the Glushkovo district, it was completely destroyed, and volunteers who were assisting the evacuated civilian population were killed."

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Ukrainian army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Friday that Kyiv's forces were advancing between 1 and 3 km in some areas in the Kursk region, 11 days since beginning an incursion into Russia.

Kyiv has claimed to have taken control of 82 settlements over an area of 1,150 sq. km. in the region since Aug. 6.

Reuters could not independently verify either side's battlefield accounts.