Russia says Ukraine used Western weapons to destroy bridge in Kursk

Russia has accused Ukraine of using Western rockets – likely made in the United States – to target a strategic bridge over the Seym River in the Kursk region, killing volunteers trying to evacuate civilians.

Ukrainian forces hit the bridge in the Glushkovsky district of Kursk on Friday as they pushed forward with their incursion into the territory in western Russia.

“For the first time, the Kursk region was hit by Western-made rocket launchers, probably American HIMARS,” Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said late on Friday on the Telegram messaging app.

“As a result of the attack on the bridge … it was completely destroyed, and volunteers who were assisting the evacuated civilian population were killed.”

Russia’s news agency TASS released the names of two volunteers it said were “murdered” in the attack.

Russian officials also have said the destruction of the bridge will hinder the evacuation of civilians from the area.

Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk comes just months after the US and several of its NATO allies said in May that they had authorised Kyiv to use their weapons to attack targets inside Russia.

Al Jazeera’s Defence Editor Alex Gatopoulos said Friday’s bridge bombing will make it difficult for Russian forces to defend the area against Ukrainian advances and access supplies.

“Russian units there [are] caught between a river and a hard place – not very many places for them to go at the moment,” he said.

“Now, there’s going to be an issue for the Russians because if they can’t supply these units with the ammunition that they need – and the fuel – then these units will be forced to retreat over the river.”