Ukraine has destroyed a major bridge in the Russian Kursk region and struck a second bridge nearby, less than two weeks after its stunning incursion across the border, disrupting Russian supply routes and possibly indicating that its forces plan to fortify.

Pro-Kremlin military bloggers in Russia have acknowledged that the destruction of the first bridge, which spanned the Sim River near the town of Glooshkovo, would hinder the delivery of supplies to Russian troops repelling the Ukrainian incursion, although Moscow remains able to use floating bridges and smaller bridges in the area. The Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Lieutenant Mykola Oleschuk, released a video on Friday of a Ukrainian airstrike that split the bridge in two.

Less than two days later, Ukrainian forces struck a second bridge in Russia, according to Oleschuk and the Russian regional governor Alexey Smirnov.

As of Sunday morning, there were no official reports on the exact location of the second bridge attack. Russian Telegram channels claimed that a second bridge over the Sim River, in the village of Zvanoy, had been bombed.

According to the Russian news site Mash, the attacks left the area with only one intact bridge. The Associated Press was unable to verify these claims immediately—but if confirmed, the Ukrainian strikes would complicate Moscow's attempts to replenish its forces in Kursk and evacuate civilians.

Glooshkovo is located about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) north of the Ukrainian border and about 16 kilometers (10 miles) northwest of the main battle area in Kursk. Zvanoy is another eight kilometers (five miles) to the northeast.

Kyiv has remained silent about the scale and intended objectives of its blitz attack on Russia, the largest assault on the country since World War II, which shocked the Kremlin and resulted in the fall of dozens of villages and hundreds of prisoners to the Ukrainians.

The Ukrainians have invaded deep into the Kursk region in several directions, facing little resistance and sowing chaos and panic. The Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, claimed last week that his forces had advanced through 1,000 square kilometers (390 square miles) of the Kursk region, although it was not possible to independently verify what the Ukrainian forces actually control.

However, the strikes on the bridges, which appear aimed at thwarting a Russian counteroffensive in Kursk, may mean that Kyiv intends to seek a foothold in the region—or at least send a signal to Moscow that it plans to do so.

Analysts say that while Ukraine may be trying to solidify its gains inside Russia, it would be a risky maneuver considering Kyiv's limited resources, as supply lines extending deep into Kursk would be vulnerable to Russian strikes.

The incursion has already boosted Ukrainian morale, which had been drained by a failed counteroffensive last summer and months of overwhelming Russian gains in the eastern Donbas region, and has proven its ability to seize the initiative.

It resembled the blitz operation Ukraine launched in September 2022, led by Syrskyi, where its forces regained control of the northeastern Kharkiv region after capitalizing on a shortage of Russian manpower and field fortifications.