All current developments on the war in Ukraine.
Moscow claims the Crimean bridge was again attacked by Ukrainian drones
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Moscow claims to have shot down three Ukrainian naval drones targeting the Crimean bridge in the Black Sea on Friday night.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Ukrainian drones were destroyed around 2:20 a.m. Moscow time before reaching the bridge built as part of the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
This is not the first time an incident like this has been reported. On August 12, two Ukrainian missile attacks were reportedly foiled above this strategic bridge in the Kerch Strait.
An earlier offensive in July caused significant damage to the road section of the structure, which is also used to deliver military equipment to the Russian army fighting in Ukraine.
Ahead of the latest offensive reportedly thwarted by Moscow, Kiev scored a symbolic victory on Friday by claiming it had carried out its first drone strike from Russian territory this week.
On the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, Ukrainian drones targeted the airport in the city of Pskov, around 700 kilometers from Ukraine, in a region that borders Estonia and Latvia to the west and Belarus to the south.
The head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, confirmed the incident via Telegram, saying: “The drones used to attack the Kresty air base in Pskov were launched from inside Russia.”
The Kremlin has not yet commented on this claim.
USA: “Remarkable progress” by Ukrainian forces in the south
According to the US government, Ukrainian forces have made “remarkable progress” in their advance against heavily fortified Russian positions in the south of the country.
John Kirby, the White House security spokesman, said that this progress was made in the last 72 hours south of Zaporizhzhia.
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Speaking to CNN, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba confirmed that Kiev’s forces were advancing but it was “a tough fight.”
Kirby said Kiev itself had admitted that the push in the south was progressing more slowly than hoped.
The aim is to split the Russian land corridor to Crimea.
Earlier this week, the Ukrainian military claimed to have captured the village of Robotyne in the Zaporizhia region.
In the south of the country, Moscow is said to have created a sophisticated system of trenches and tunnels, all of which were defended by minefields, in addition to anti-tank barriers and artillery positions.
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In response, Kiev has continued to call on NATO countries to provide them with tanks, fighter jets and demining equipment – perhaps most notably US-made F-16 fighter jets.
Advances in the Orikhiv Axis
Ukrainian forces continue to conduct offensive actions on the Orikhiv axis in southern Ukraine, with units reportedly having reached Russia’s first main line of defense.
Russian forces, consisting of elements of the 58th Combined Arms Army and Russian Airborne Forces, are trying to stop the Ukrainian counteroffensive while maintaining their own offensive on the northern axis around Kupiansk.
It is believed that Russian forces are likely trying to distract Ukraine from its counteroffensive by pushing Kiev to split its forces between Orikhiv and Kupiansk.
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Since this Ukrainian counteroffensive began in June, Russia has made modest progress near Kupiansk. They are likely interested in capitalizing on this advancement by continuing to supply the Axis with resources.