Ukraine used Western missiles, possibly US-made, to destroy a bridge over the Seym River in Kursk Oblast, killing volunteers trying to evacuate civilians, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, quoted by Reuters, BTA reported.
"For the first time, Kursk region was hit by Western-made missile launchers, probably American HIMARS“, said late last night in "Telegram" Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry.
"As a result of the attack, the bridge over the Seim River in the Glushkovo area was completely destroyed, and the volunteers who helped the evacuated civilian population died, she stressed.
Ukrainian army chief Oleksandr Syrsky said Kiev's forces were advancing between 1 and 3 km in some areas of Kursk Oblast, 11 days after the offensive into Russia began. Kiev claims that since August 6, it has established control over 82 settlements on an area of 1,150 square km in the region.
The Reuters agency emphasizes that it is unable to independently verify the information about the hostilities announced by both sides.
Russia accused the West of supporting and encouraging Ukraine's first ground offensive on Russian territory and said the "terrorist incursion" of Kiev will not change the course of the war.
The United States, which has said it cannot allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to win the war he launched in February 2022, for now sees the surprise invasion as a defensive move that justifies the use of American weapons, officials said in Washington.