Videos document successive Ukrainian attacks on Russian bridge

Video footage has appeared on the Internet that appears to show successive attacks on a bridge in the Russian region of Kursk.

The first attack on the bridge was believed to be a High Mobility Rocket Artillery System (HIMARS) attack. The second attack may have been the US-made Joint Direct Attack Munition – Extended Range (JDAM-ER), according to open source analysis and local reports.

Footage of the first attack on the Seym Bridge near the village of Karyzh in Kursk was posted on Telegram on Sunday by the Khorne group, a Ukrainian drone unit of the 116th Mechanized Brigade.

It was subsequently shared by open source intelligence accounts on social media.

Three Ukrainian HIMARS-launched GMLRS missiles hit a Russian mobile bridging unit over the damaged Seym River bridge near Karyzh in Kursk Oblast.

Ukrainian forces continue to destroy bridges connecting Russian forces south of the Sejm. pic.twitter.com/yqyFUxjGqn

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) 8 September 2024

In the video, the Russian bridge can be seen suffering several consecutive attacks. The ammunition appears to be spread across the target area, hitting both the bridge and the water.

The footage then zooms in on the damaged section of the bridge, showing significant damage to the structure.

The next day, footage appeared on Telegram and later on other social networks that appeared to show another attack with a different weapon.

Open intelligence reports identified the weapons used in this attack as US-supplied JDAM-ER. These weapons use kits to convert unguided bombs into precision strike weapons. They are air-launched weapons which were previously used to attack bridges within Russia.

The Ukrainian Air Force decided to continue the Ukrainian Army's HIMARS attack on the Russian mobile bridge unit over the damaged Seym Bridge near Karysh in Kursk Oblast.

Here you can see a US-supplied Ukrainian JDAM-ER glide bomb crashing into the Russian bridge. pic.twitter.com/dXws4rA57o

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) 9 September 2024

The video shows major damage to the bridge. It appears to have a hole in it. However, it is still standing.

Business Insider was unable to independently verify the details of the attack footage, which online OSINT accounts say was localized in the Karysh region of Kursk. However, this is not the first time Ukraine has attacked Russian bridges in Kursk.

Video footage released by the Ukrainian Air Force late last month showed a Soviet-era MiG-29 aircraft dropping U.S. GBU-62 JDAM-ER bombs on the bridges at Kursk.

The bombs are similar in some ways to the glide bombs Russia had previously used to destroy Ukrainian positions. These weapons were particularly well-known during the Russian offensive on Avdiivka, where they briefly gave Russia air superiority.

Ukraine appears to be targeting these bridges to disrupt Russian logistics and supply lines into the area, while Moscow continues to divert its forces to Kursk to counter Kiev's invasion.