Ukraine announces sending humanitarian aid to Kursk region, destroys another strategic bridge; Russian Defense Ministry announces enemy losses

Writing on Telegram on August 16, Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said that the country has set up storage facilities in the northern Sumy region to collect and send humanitarian aid to Russian civilians in the Kiev-controlled area of ​​Kursk province in western Russia.

Regarding the situation in Kursk province, the Russian Ministry of Defense said that the country's army had killed 2,860 Ukrainian soldiers and destroyed 41 tanks, 276 armored vehicles... (Russian Ministry of Defense)

Ukraine said it had taken control of 82 settlements covering 1,150 square kilometres in the region after launching a major cross-border offensive on August 6.

"The citizens abandoned by Russia are mainly the elderly, the disabled and families with children. They need food, water and medicine," Mr. Klymenko said.

He did not specify how many storage facilities had been set up or where they were, but a video posted on the Ukrainian interior ministry 's Telegram account showed a large inflatable tent and Ukrainian servicemen carrying parcels and packing food.

During a trip to the Sumy region, which borders Russia's Kursk region, Mr. Klymenko said that about 150 food packages had been sent to people in the area.

Kiev officials say they plan to create evacuation corridors from the Kursk region and pave the way for international humanitarian missions.

Russia called Ukraine's attack a "major provocation" and vowed to retaliate with a "symmetrical response".

* On the same day, August 16, Russian Telegram channels reported that the Ukrainian army had destroyed an important bridge connecting the border areas of the Kursk region with the right bank of the Seim River.

Locals said a bridge over the river near the village of Glushkovo was destroyed. The bridge had been targeted for two days before being destroyed.

Judging by the field damage, the attacks could have been carried out with high-precision artillery shells or with HIMARS GMLRS missiles.

The bridge is one of the few important intersections in the area, along with two other road bridges near the villages of Zvannoye and Karyzh and a railway bridge, serving the area.

The destruction of these bridges could isolate a significant part of the Glushkovsky district, cutting it off from the main Russian forces.

While the Russian military has the ability to deploy pontoon ferries to maintain connectivity, this would come with a significant risk of missile attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The affected part of Glushkovsky district includes several settlements, such as Toytkino, Popovo-Lezhachi and Volfino, along with 27 other villages.

As reported earlier, the Ukrainian Air Force attacked Russian military facilities in the Russian village of Tyotkino, 2.5 km from the Russian-Ukrainian border. Ukrainian aircraft attacked command and observation posts and a hangar with equipment.

* On the Russian side, on August 16, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that its army had killed 2,860 Ukrainian soldiers and destroyed 41 tanks, 276 armored vehicles, 4 air defense systems and 6 missile launchers, including three US HIMARS, in Kursk, which had been attacked by Ukraine.

The statement said Russia's "Northern" forces repelled an attack on the Russkie Borishny border and also repelled an attack by a group reinforced with five armored vehicles on the town of Gordievka.

Kiev forces' losses within 24 hours amounted to 220 soldiers, 19 tanks and armored vehicles, three US HIMARS missile launchers, two trucks and two heavy artillery pieces.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/ukraine-tuyen-bo-gui-vien-tro-nhan-dao-den-tinh-kursk-pha-huy-them-mot-cay-cau-chien-luoc-bo-quoc-phong-nga-thong-bao-ton-that-cua-cua-doi-phuong-282893.html