Ukraine destroys vital bridge in Kursk, Russia announces: Due to this adventure, no negotiations now

The Russian military website "Redovka" said that Ukrainian forces destroyed a third bridge last night in the Samarka region of the Russian border province of Kursk, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Monday that the Ukrainian army is achieving its goals in the Kursk region, where it has been carrying out an unprecedented attack for about two weeks.

Russian websites said that the targeted bridge is the last bridge on the Sim River, linking the north and south of the province. The bridge was considered a main supply route for Russian forces towards the border fronts.

For its part, the Ukrainian army said that its forces are continuing their advance into the Russian Kursk region, and are engaging in violent clashes in the Klochkova and Totkinia regions, north and west of the Russian city of Sudzha.

The Ukrainian president also announced that the army was achieving its goals in the Kursk region, and said in response to the surprise attack launched by Ukrainian forces across the border on August 6, "We are achieving our goals," after saying on Sunday that the attack aimed to establish a "buffer zone" between Russia and Ukraine.

"This morning, we renewed the (prisoner of war) exchange fund for our country," Zelensky added.

Kyiv sent thousands of Ukrainian soldiers across the western border into Russia on August 6, in the largest offensive since the war between them began in February 2022, causing great embarrassment to the Russian military.

Kiev said the attack on Russian territory was aimed at forcing Moscow to negotiate on "fair" terms at a time when Ukrainian forces were struggling on the eastern front.

The Ukrainian General Staff also announced that it had shot down 11 Iranian Shahed drones used by Russian forces last night in 8 regions of the country.

Asked whether proposals for peace talks put forward by Russian President Vladimir Putin in June were off the table, Ushakov said they were not.

"No, the proposals have not been cancelled. But at this stage, of course, it would be completely inappropriate to enter into any kind of negotiation process," he added.

On another note, Kiev expects Russia to increase its forces in Ukraine to 800,000 by the end of the year, up from 600,000 currently, according to a report published by Forbes Ukraine today, citing Ivan Havrylyuk, the Ukrainian deputy defense minister.

On the other hand, the German government confirmed on Monday its "full commitment" to providing military support to Ukraine, despite its intention to reduce the value of military spending it allocates to Kiev in 2025, to be compensated through the expected profits from frozen Russian assets.

Source: Agencies