Ukrainian forces have destroyed a third bridge in Russia’s Kursk border region in as many days, blowing up vital supply lines to Vladimir Putin’s forces defending the area against Kyiv’s surprise cross-border assault.
The bridge, located in the village of Karyzh on the River Seym and runs parallel to the Ukrainian border, is said to have been damaged during an attack late on Sunday night. It is also the last bridge on the Russian river after the previous two bridges have already been attacked.
The assault on Russia’s Kursk region shows the Kremlin’s threats of retaliation were a bluff, Volodymyr Zelensky said last night as he urged Kyiv’s allies to loosen curbs on Ukraine’s use of foreign-supplied weapons.
“The operation ‘no one knew about’ proved that there are no red lines of the Kremlin to be wary of,” Mr Zelensky said.
He said Ukraine would not have had to physically invade Kursk if its allies had not imposed their restrictions on using donated arms to hit deep inside Russia.
Two weeks after the incursion began, Ukrainian forces now control more than 1,250 sq km (483 square miles) and 92 settlements in the Kursk region, Kyiv says.
Key Points
- Zelensky calls out Putin’s ‘red line' bluff via Kursk attack
- Ukraine strikes third bridge in Kursk in late night attack
- Belarus sends more troops, aircraft, arms to border with Ukraine
- Satellite imagery shows Russian pontoon bridge constructed in Kursk
- UK support for Ukraine remains unwavering, says Starmer’s spokesperson
Britain keeps poking the Russian bear – don’t be surprised if it lashes out
18:00
Tom Watling
Kremlin warns citizens to not use dating apps amid Ukraine’s incursion
17:47
Jabed Ahmed
The Kremlin is attempting to clamp down on the use of dating apps in the regions that have been affected by Ukraine’s surprise incursion.
“The use of online dating services is strongly discouraged. The enemy is actively using them to gather information,” the interior ministry said to citizens in Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk, according to information published by Russian media.
The ministry has also issued recommendations to military and law enforcement personnel, stating they should not to open any hyperlinks in messages received from strangers and not to stream videos on roads where military vehicles are present.
Ukraine's army chief says forces advance 28-35 km inside Russia's Kursk region
16:48
Jabed Ahmed
Ukraine‘s army chief said its forces have advanced 28-35 kilometres (17 to 22 miles) in Russia’s Kursk region while Moscow was moving some of its troops from other directions to strengthen positions there.
Oleksandr Syrskyi told a briefing broadcast by national TV that Russia was also sending additional troops to the Pokrovsk region in Ukraine‘s east, which has seen the most intense fighting of late in Russia’s two-and-half-year-old invasion.
Ukrainian miners soldier on in Donetsk
15:55
Tom Watling
Russia's FSB detains scientist on suspicion of treason, Ifax reports
15:31
Tom Watling
Russia’s FSB security service has detained a scientist in Moscow on suspicion of state treason, Interfax news agency reported on Tuesday.
The scientist allegedly carried out distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on critical infrastructure on behalf of Ukrainian security services, it quoted the FSB as saying.
Zelensky says situation near Toretsk and Pokrovsk in Ukraine’s east is ‘difficult’
14:56
Tom Watling
President Volodymyr Zelensky has admitted the situation on Ukraine‘s eastern front line, near the strategic logistics hub of Pokrovsk, and also close to Toretsk, is “difficult”.
Ukraine‘s General Staff has also said on Facebook that 14 combat clashes had been reported in the Toretsk area and 34 in the Pokrovsk sector since the start of the day.
Ukraine’s soldiers seek revenge against Putin’s forces in Kursk: ‘We laughed digging trenches on enemy soil’
14:30
Tom Watling
Photos from the Ukrainian border with Russia
14:00
Tom Watling
Over 122,000 people left Russia’s Kursk region, Tass reports
13:29
Tom Watling
More than 122,000 people have left Russia’s Kursk region, from which authorities have ordered evacuations since Ukraine mounted a major incursion two weeks ago, state news agency Tass quoted the emergencies ministry as saying on Tuesday.
Russian forces have been fighting Ukrainian troops there since 6 August, when thousands of Kyiv’s troops smashed through Russia’s western border in a major embarrassment for the Russian military top brass.
Zelensky criticises UK for ‘slowing down’ support for fight against Russia
13:00
Tom Watling
India’s Modi likely to meet Zelensky in Ukraine after Russia trip
12:30
Tom Watling
Russia claims control of Niu-York in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region
11:58
Tom Watling
The Russian defence ministry has claimed that their forces have taken control of the settlement of Niu-York in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
The Independent could not independently verify the battlefield report, but Ukrainian soldiers have expressed concern that the area could be lost.
A soldier from the 53rd brigade told Ukrainian Pravda this week that they are in control of roughly 20 per cent of Niu-York.
"Our forces are in Niu-York, holding the defence. We control approximately 20 per cent. The Russians are advancing thanks to a large number of reserves. We kill them, but they keep coming. Unfortunately, we don’t have such reserves,” the soldier said.
Russia and Ukraine equipment losses documented
11:34
Tom Watling
Below is a list of all the Russian and Ukrainian military equipment losses documented by war tracker Andrew Perpetua in the last 24 hours.
Here are losses I could identify for yesterday. pic.twitter.com/z3d9vZMexo
— Andrew Perpetua (@AndrewPerpetua) August 20, 2024
Footage shows moment Ukrainian drone hits Russian engineers erecting pontoon crossing
11:11
Tom Watling
Footage has shown the moment a Ukrainian drone struck a Russian engineering unit as it attempted to construct a pontoon crossing at the Seym River in Kursk.
Earlier, we reported that the pontoon crossing, which was being built in the wake of Ukraine destroying the three permanent bridges in the region, had disappeared.
The crossing was intended to reconnect military supply lines to the Russian forces trapped between the Ukrainian border, Kyiv’s forces in front of them and the Seym River running along their left flank.
Kursk Oblast, Ukrainian FPV attack drones successfully swarmed and struck valuable Russian engineering units as they attempted to set up a second pontoon bridge over the Seym River.
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) August 20, 2024
Ukrainian drones hit at least two Russian engineering vehicles. pic.twitter.com/muC9T1nd5z
Warlord invites Elon Musk to Russia after being filmed driving machine-gun mounted Cybertruck
10:40
Tom Watling
Updated map of Ukraine’s Kursk incursion
10:20
Tom Watling
Photos from the frontline
10:00
Tom Watling
Below we have some of the latest photos from the frontline in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region.
Czechs will use interest from frozen Russian assets to buy ammunition for Ukraine
09:40
Tom Watling
The Czech Republic will use part of the interest generated from Russian central bank assets frozen in the European Union to buy large-calibre ammunition for Ukraine, the Czech Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.
You can read more about the seizure and repurposing of Russian central bank assets here.
Russian pontoon bridge ‘destroyed’ by Ukrainian drone
09:19
Tom Watling
A Russian pontoon crossing built in the Kursk region in the wake of targeted Ukrainian strikes on bridges in the area may have been destroyed by a Ukrainian drone, images suggest.
Earlier, we reported that a pontoon crossing that had been constructed near the village of Zvannoe in Kursk, around a dozen miles west of the advancing Ukrainian troops, had disappeared.
Satellite imagery published yesterday showed what appeared to be a plume of smoke near the then-missing bridge. It was unclear whether the bridge had been moved or attacked.
But a Ukrainian YouTuber fundraising for first-person view (FPV) attack drones has since posted a still of an video from a drone that appears to show the destroyed bridge.
“We don’t know what happened to the Russian crossing … but you contributed to it,” he wrote.
Ми не знаємо, що сталося із російською переправою на Курщині, але ви на це донатили pic.twitter.com/L2TtBjfsrj
— Serhii Sternenko ✙ (@sternenko) August 20, 2024
Ukraine firefighters battle blazes in Kherson
09:00
Tom Watling
Ukrainian firefighters battled more than a dozen blazes in the southern Ukraine region of Kherson on Monday, the country’s state emergency services have reported.
“Yesterday, the enemy did not stop shelling the settlements of the Kherson region,” they wrote in an update on X, formerly Twitter.
“In total, 14 fires broke out in the region, 7 of which were caused by ammunition hits.
“Firefighters extinguished fires in 4 residential buildings, a defunct building, cars, as well as 8 fires in ecosystems.”
Минулої доби ворог не припиняв обстріли населених пунктів Херсонщини
— DSNS.GOV.UA (@SESU_UA) August 20, 2024
Загалом в області сталося 14 пожеж, з яких 7 внаслідок влучань боєприпасів.
Вогнеборці ліквідували загорання в 4 житлових будинках, недіючій будівлі, автомобілі, також 8 пожеж в екосистемах. pic.twitter.com/PYdTpgQug3
Ukraine’s soldiers seek revenge against Putin’s forces in Kursk: ‘We laughed digging trenches on enemy soil’
08:45
Tom Watling
Five dead in last 24 hours in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine
08:23
Tom Watling
At least five civilians have been killed in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, the local governor has reported.
Vadym Filashkin, governor of the Donetsk region, wrote on the Telegram messenger app that three people were killed in the Kramatorsk district, around 10 miles from the nearest Russian troops.
In Toretsk and Siversk, both of which are much closer to the frontline, at least one person was killed in both areas.
It comes as hundreds have been ordered to evacuate from Pokrovsk, another city in Donetsk, following reports that Russian troops are rushing towards the area.
Zelensky has humiliated Putin, but what good can his ‘buffer zone’ do?
08:11
Tom Watling
Smoke pours from industrial site in western Ukraine - footage
08:02
Tom Watling
Footage has been published online showing thick, black smoke pouring from an industrial facility in the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil.
Earlier, we reported that people were urged to stay inside their homes in the area after a large fire broke out overnight during air raid alerts.
Occupiers struck an industrial facility in Ternopil pic.twitter.com/xluxOdfpEg
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) August 20, 2024
Russians flee Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk - pictures
07:52
Tom Watling
Russian bridge in Kursk disappears
07:45
Tom Watling
A pontoon crossing reportedly built in Kursk after Ukrainian forces destroyed three permanent bridges in the area has disappeared.
Satellite imagery from Sunday showed the pontoon crossing near the village of Zvannoe, where a permanent bridge was destroyed a day earlier; the same image a day later, however, showed the crossing had disappeared. Smoke appears to be visible around 500 metres from where the bridge was in the second satellite image.
A second pontoon crossing, built by the Russian military east of the village of Glushkovo, a few miles eastward, is still visible on satellite images.
First pontoon bridge is gone
— C4H10FO2P ☠️ (@markito0171) August 20, 2024
Seim river/Kursk pic.twitter.com/u5F40qytwd
Map timeline shows advancing Russian troops in eastern Ukraine
07:40
Tom Watling
A timeline map of the frontline in eastern Ukraine has shown the rapid progress of Russian forces in the last month as civilians in the region have been ordered to evacuate.
The city of Pokrovsk, which can be seen in the top left of the graphic below, has been under intense pressure in recent months. Analysts say Russia has prioritised taking this city, a vital staging post to Moscow fulfilling its aim of occupying the entire wider Donetsk region.
A quick visualisation of last months frontline movement near Pokrovsk
— Ukraine Control Map (@UAControlMap) August 20, 2024
Keep an eye on the map and daily map threads for more details.https://t.co/ixavoIKvGa pic.twitter.com/lC7NhGgyNL
Here are the latest photos from Ukraine
07:35
Tom Watling
Good morning.
Below are the latest photos coming from Ukraine and Russia.
Ukraine air defences down 3 missiles, 25 drones fired by Russia, Ukrainian air force says
07:27
Tom Watling
Ukraine‘s air defences shot down three missiles and 25 drones fired by Russia in an overnight attack, the Ukrainian air force has said.
It said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app that the attack targeted nine Ukrainian regions in the centre, north and south of the country.
‘We laughed digging trenches on enemy soil’: Ukraine soldiers seek revenge
07:06
Arpan Rai
Ukrainian forces have damaged or destroyed three bridges in Russia’s Kursk region – aiming to cut crucial Russian supply lines in the latest chapter in Kyiv’s daring assault across the border, which the country’s president Volodymyr Zelensky says is achieving its military aims.
Ukraine’s troops know Russia will respond but want to take as much revenge against Vladimir Putin’s forces as they can. Soldiers from one of the brigades that spearheaded the offensive into Kursk have told The Independent how they laughed in disbelief and joy as they dug trenches inside Russia.
“It was an incredible feeling to realise that this time we were invading them and we laughed like madmen as we dug trenches on enemy land, Russian soil,” said a soldier with the codename Lyasha.
From crippling bridges bringing supplies to Russia’s troops to defending the territory they have snatched in daring raids, soldiers resting in Ukraine’s border Sumy region tell Askold Krushelnycky they want to push on:
Ukraine strikes third bridge in Kursk as part of cross-border attack into Russia
07:00
Tom Watling
Ukraine’s Ternopil under Russian attack, people urged to stay inside
06:56
Arpan Rai
People were urged to stay inside their homes in Ukraine’s Ternopil after a large fire broke out overnight during air raid alerts, the military administration of the western Ukrainian region said this morning.
“Do not leave your home unnecessarily, limit children’s time outdoors as much as possible, close windows indoors,” the administration said on Telegram.
It added emergency services were working on the site of the fire that occurred overnight “during air raid alerts”. It was not immediately known what facility was on fire or what started the blaze.
Ukraine now controls 92 settlements in Russia’s Kursk region, says Zelensky
06:32
Arpan Rai
Ukrainian forces now control more than 1,250 square kilometres and 92 settlements in Russia’s Kursk region, Volodymyr Zelensky announced last night.
He urged Ukraine’s allies to permit it to use Western weapons to strike deep inside Russia, saying the lack of that permission was the main reason for Ukraine not being able to stop Moscow’s advances on the frontline in the east.
“The naive, illusory concept of so-called red lines regarding Russia, which dominated the assessment of the war by some partners, has crumbled apart in these days somewhere near Sudzha,” he said in an address to ambassadors, referring to the border town in Russia’s Kursk region currently under Ukrainian control.
Kyiv says its Kursk incursion is aimed at carving out a buffer zone and wearing down Russia’s war machine.
Last week, the Ukrainian president had said his forces were already in control of 74 settlements inside Kursk. More than 121,000 people have been evacuated from nine border districts in the Kursk region, Russia’s emergencies ministry said. This is the biggest incursion inside Russia since the Second World War.
Russia keeps pushing towards Ukraine’s Pokrovsk
06:30
Arpan Rai
Ukraine is facing a tough battle near Pokrovsk, a transport hub for Ukrainian forces in the country’s east.
Russian troops are now around 10km (6 miles) from the outskirts of the city, said Serhiy Dobriak, head of the local military administration. He said up to 600 people were leaving on a daily basis, and that municipal services could be cut off within a week as Russian forces close in.
Regional governor Vadym Filashkin said a curfew in settlements close to Pokrovsk had been tightened and the situation was “very difficult”.
Ukraine’s top general said Kyiv was also “doing everything necessary” to defend the eastern city of Toretsk as Moscow tries to threaten Ukrainian supply lines. Russia said its forces had captured the nearby town of Zalizne.
Despite Ukraine’s successful incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, the assault by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine shows no sign of letting up. Kyiv expects Moscow to boost its forces in Ukraine to 800,000 by the end of the year, up from around 600,000 now, Ukrainian deputy defence minister Ivan Havryliuk told Ukrainian media.
Fighting still rages in eastern Ukraine despite Kursk incursion
06:23
Arpan Rai
Ukrainian troops are being subjected to dozens of attacks a day by Russian forces around Toretsk and Pokrovsk, two settlements in eastern Ukraine where Moscow is gaining ground, military officials said yesterday evening.
Eastern Ukraine is still seeing intense fighting as Russia looks to capture territory further inside its smaller neighbour, despite Kyiv’s successful incursion into Russia’s Kursk region next door.
Russian troops attacked Ukrainian defenders 21 times over the course of Monday in the Toretsk area, with some of the attacks still ongoing after nightfall, the military said in a statement.
It also said there were 63 skirmishes around Pokrovsk, a logistics hub, yesterday. The Pokrovsk front is the area with the most intense fighting in eastern Ukraine at present, with a record number of clashes reported last week.
Why is Ukraine destroying bridges in Russia’s Kursk?
06:00
Tom Watling
Russian missiles strike Kyiv for fifth time this month, says military
05:44
Arpan Rai
Russia launched its fifth missile attack on Kyiv this month, Ukraine’s military said this morning with preliminary data showing air defence systems were again successful in repelling the strikes.
The morning strikes likely involved cruise missiles, the military said, adding that the full scope of the attack was not immediately known.
The missile attack followed a drone attack on Kyiv late last night, with preliminary information showing there was no damage or injuries as a result of either of the attacks, Kyiv’s military administration said. The drone attack was successfully repelled, authorities said.
Witnesses said they heard blasts from what sounded like air defence units in operation on Kyiv’s outskirts. The military said that the capital has been under 41 separate air raid alerts this month alone.
Ukraine strikes third bridge in Kursk as part of cross-border attack into Russia
05:31
Arpan Rai
Russia has confirmed that Ukrainian forces have destroyed a third bridge in the Kursk border region in as many days, severing vital supply lines to Moscow’s forces defending the area against Kyiv’s surprise cross-border assault.
The bridge, located in the village of Karyzh on the River Seym, which runs parallel to the Ukrainian border, is said to have been damaged during an attack late on Sunday night.
Russian state media’s top propagandist, Vladimir Solovyov, published a video statement to his channel on the Telegram messenger app, from a representative of Russia’s Investigative Committee, confirming the bridge had been damaged on Monday morning.
It is highly unusual for Kremlin-approved state media reports to disclose information highlighting Russian military failures, and Moscow strictly controls what is and is not published. As with most Russian claims about strikes by Ukraine, the statement claimed the attack hit “residential buildings and civilian infrastructure” without providing any evidence whatsoever.
Tom Watling reports:
Zelensky has humiliated Putin, but what good can his ‘buffer zone’ do?
05:00
Tom Watling
Belarus sends more troops, aircraft, arms to border with Ukraine
04:41
Arpan Rai
Belarus has sent aircraft, air defence forces and arms to its border with Ukraine, a day after president Alexander Lukashenko said he had deployed nearly a third of his country’s armed forces to the region.
Ukraine says it has not seen an increase in Belarusian troops on the border and called Lukashenko’s statements “rhetoric” aimed at pleasing Mr Putin, who used Belarus as a launchpad to start his invasion in Ukraine in February 2022.
“The group has been significantly increased, and at the moment they are on duty at the southern borders of our country,” Belarus’s air force chief Maj General Andrei Lukyanovich told the state-owned CTV broadcaster.
Aviation, anti-aircraft missile forces, and radio-technical troops were deployed to the border, Mr Lukyanovich said, according to a transcript provided on CTV’s website.
Belarus was also expecting more military aircraft deliveries from Moscow this year and Minsk is putting its efforts into strengthening its anti-drone systems, the senior Belarusian military official said.
“The fact that drones are the plague of the 21st century is obvious,” he said. “This is a headache, which, I think, we will find the means to counter.”
Days after Ukraine’s surprise incursion into Russia’s territory, Lukashenko - a loyal ally of Vladimir Putin - accused Kyiv of aggressive policies and of sending more than 120,000 of its troops to the border with Belarus.
Ukraine says air defence engaged in repelling Russian air attack on Kyiv
04:39
Arpan Rai
Air defence units were engaged in trying to repel a Russian air attack on Kyiv this morning, the military administration of the Ukrainian capital said on Telegram.
Witnesses told Reuters they could hear blasts from what sounded like air defence units in operation. Any casualties due to the aerial attack were not immediately clear.
Cross-border drone and missile attacks by Russia have ravaged Ukraine for nearly 30 months since the start of Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
India’s Modi likely to meet Zelensky in Ukraine after Russia trip
04:00
Tom Watling
Zelensky calls out Putin’s ‘red line' bluff via Kursk attack
03:57
Arpan Rai
Ukraine’s assault on Russia’s Kursk region shows Kremlin threats of retaliation were a bluff, Volodymyr Zelensky said last night as he urged Kyiv’s allies to loosen curbs on using foreign-supplied weapons.
Mr Zelensky singled out allies who have supplied long-range weapons but told Kyiv they cannot use them deep inside Russia for fear of crossing “red lines” set out by Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Speaking to a gathering of Ukrainian diplomats, he said: “We are witnessing a significant ideological shift – the naive, illusory concept of so-called red lines regarding Russia, which dominated the assessment of the war by some partners, has crumbled apart these days.”
Criticising the limitations set by Ukraine’s allies, Zelensky said his troops could not use the weapons at their disposal to hit some Russian military targets. He urged allies to be bolder in their decisions about how to help Kyiv in the war.
“The world sees that everything in this war depends only on courage – our courage, the courage of our partners. On brave decisions for Ukraine, on courage in supporting Ukraine,” Mr Zelensky said.
The latest assessment by Kyiv says Ukrainian forces now control more than 1,250 sq km (483 square miles) and 92 settlements in Kursk region, while Russia said Ukraine had struck a third bridge in the region, complicating Russian efforts to repel the Ukrainian attack.
Ukraine’s next president? Vitali Klitschko film explores boxer’s journey into politics and war
03:00
Tom Watling
Revealed: Ukraine’s plan to force Putin to retreat in shame
02:00
Tom Watling
Britain keeps poking the Russian bear – don’t be surprised if it lashes out
01:00
Tom Watling
Disarray in Putin’s military command exposed by Ukraine’s attack in Russia, says Zelensky’s chief adviser
Tuesday 20 August 2024 00:00
Tom Watling
Kent animal sanctuary rescues lion with ‘psychological issues’ from Ukraine
Monday 19 August 2024 23:00
Tom Watling
Images from UK military’s first satellite will be shared with allies
Monday 19 August 2024 22:00
Tom Watling
Mapped: Ukraine’s incursion into the Russian Kursk region explained
Monday 19 August 2024 21:00
Tom Watling
Another European country to reintroduce compulsory military draft as tensions soar
Monday 19 August 2024 20:00
Tom Watling
Warlord invites Elon Musk to Russia after being filmed driving machine-gun mounted Cybertruck
Monday 19 August 2024 19:00
Tom Watling
