ARTICLE AD BOX
THIS is the moment Ukraine destroyed a key bridge in Kursk being used by Russian forces in a humiliating blow to the enemy.
Dramatic footage showed Kyiv’s missile striking the bridge and sparking an enormous cloud of flames and smoke before it collapsed in half.
Pictures from the scene showed the obliterated stone pass with a huge chunk sticking out of the water.
An earlier less successful strike on the bridge had left burnt out holes and scorch marks across it.
It was ultimately destroyed by a US-supplied HIMARS missile, according to a Kremlin Telegram channel.
Vladimir Putin’s crony governor in Kursk, Alexei Smirnov, later admitted to the blow for Russian forces.
The bridge, which crosses the Seym River, links areas of the region already under Kyiv’s control to parts still run by Russia.
Russian military were using it to transport weaponry and equipment to forces in Glushkovsky.
The bridge sits some 6.8 miles north of Ukraine’s border.
A major evacuation effort is underway in Glushkovsky, which is largely separated from the rest of Kursk by the river.
Some reports claim other bridges have also been destroyed.
A frantic post from a pro-war Russian Telegram channel said: “Part of the Glushkovsky district is now cut off .
“This is Tyotkino, Popovo-Lezhachi, Volfino and about 27 more settlements.
“The civilian population can now only be evacuated by water.
“The enemy is also hitting the bridge in the village of Zvannoye in the Glushkovsky district.”