- Ukraine has reportedly taken out three bridges over the Seym River in Russia's Kursk region.
- This could cut off Russian forces from supplies and aid Ukraine's hold over the area, per analysts.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed to create a "buffer zone" to protect Ukraine.
Ukraine has taken out strategic bridges in Russia's Kursk region to try to isolate Russian forces there and strengthen its defenses, according to military experts.
Ukrainian forces have been on the offensive in the Kursk region since their surprise assault on August 6, grabbing around 386 miles of land in a matter of days and pushing further into Russian territory.
Over the weekend, Ukraine reportedly struck two bridges — one over the Seym River in Glushkovsky district and another over the Seym in the village of Svannoe, according to Russian officials.
The Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Mykola Oleshchuk, shared footage that appeared to show the two strikes, but he didn't specify where they took place.
Russian military bloggers also claimed on Monday that Ukraine hit a third bridge over the Seym in the village of Karyzh. A Russian news outlet also reported on the development.
Business Insider couldn't independently verify the strike.
According to military experts and open-source intelligence analysts, the destruction of the bridges could hamper Russia's logistic lines, cutting off Russian forces stationed south of the river from military supplies and helping Ukraine cement its hold over the region.
Alex Kokcharov, a risk analyst with S&P Global Market Intelligence, said the destruction of the bridges has left Russian forces with only one makeshift pontoon bridge to resupply their units.
He also said in an X post on Monday that the pontoon bridge is "within Ukraine's range of artillery fire," putting Russian soldiers who cross it at risk.
Jimmy Rushton, an independent security analyst based in Kyiv, made a similar statement in a post on Saturday, after the second bridge was reportedly struck.
He said the destruction of the bridges "severely" complicates Russian logistics and isolates Russian forces on the "wrong side of the river."
John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that Ukraine was taking out these bridges to try to widen its flanks in the Kursk region, strengthen its defenses, and use the river as a natural defensive barrier.
"Russian forces trying to retake that territory would have to contend with constrained logistics," he told BI.
In an address on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine was aiming to create a "buffer zone" in Kursk.
Emil Kastehelmi, a military analyst with the Black Bird Group, a Finland-based open-source intelligence group, told BI that Ukraine is likely searching for potential directions in which its forces could continue their offensive in the Kursk region, and the Tetkino-Glushkovo axis could be one of them.
"As there are very limited strategic goals to be achieved in Kursk, Ukrainians are likely looking for operational victories," he said.
"A quick operation without unnecessary losses in Glushkovo could be one," he added.
Kastehelmi said that destroying the bridges was part of the strategy to capture the area, but added that Russia was likely prepared for that scenario and would probably build more temporary bridges across the river to supply its troops.
"The river isn't small, but it isn't extremely wide either, so making more temporary bridges shouldn't be too big of an issue," he said.