Ukraine strikes key bridge in Russian-held territory

President Volodymyr Zelensky calls for countries to block Russian tourists, declare Russia a terrorist state.

Ukrainian armour on the move in the Donetsk region at the weekend. Picture: AFP

Ukrainian forces struck a key bridge in Russian-occupied territory in a bid to further disrupt Moscow’s supply lines and bolster preparations for a counteroffensive in the south, as fighting continued around Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.

Ukraine’s Southern Military Command said at the weekend units positioned in the Kherson, swathes of which are occupied by Russia, had hit a bridge near the Kakhovka hydro-electric power plant that Russia had used to transport military equipment and shore up its defences.

Such strikes, often involving the use of advanced Western-supplied weapons, have helped Ukraine shift the balance on the battlefield and slow Russia’s advance. Western officials say Russia continues to lose large numbers of troops as it wages a grinding campaign focused on the eastern Donbas region, where it has failed to make any meaningful gains since capturing the cities of Lysychansk and Severodonetsk six weeks ago.

Ukraine has pushed for ordinary Russians to be punished for the war waged by their government. Last week, Latvia declared Russia a state sponsor of terrorism for violence against civilians in Ukraine, while Estonia approved restrictions on tourist visas for Russian citizens.

In a video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Western governments to restrict the issuance of visas to Russian nationals, arguing that Russians angry over travel curbs would be more likely to pressure the Kremlin to change course. He said other countries should follow Latvia’s lead in designating Russia a sponsor of terrorism.

“We’re making efforts so that the whole world does the same,” he said. “This is fair. This is correct. And it will happen.”

Fighting continued around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the south, where Ukrainian officials say several hundred Russian troops have dug in and are lobbing artillery at Ukrainian forces positioned across the Dnipro River near the city of Nikopol.

Officials in Kyiv have said Moscow is using the plant as a shield at the risk of provoking a nuclear catastrophe. They say the push is aimed at forcing Ukraine to the negotiating table at a time when Russia is making scant progress in its offensive and is haemorrhaging troops and equipment.

Ukrainian officials have said that no talks can be held while Russia continues to occupy Ukrainian territory, and that the prospect of any negotiations will be impossible if Moscow goes ahead with a series of referendums planned in occupied areas that could pave the way for them to be annexed by Russia.

News of Russia’s large-scale battlefield losses, which Western officials estimate at up to 20,000 soldiers dead, have been largely hidden from the Russian public. Similarly, Ukraine has withheld accurate information about its military death toll, citing the need to maintain high morale and ensure operational security.

The Wall Street Journal