Bridge over the Seversky Donets River, northeast of Rubezhnoye, Ukraine, on May 12. (BlackSky)
As Russian forces withdrew due to a protracted Ukrainian counter-offensive in the Kharkiv region, three bridges vital to the continuation of the Ukrainian offensive were blown up, satellite images from BlackSky and the European Space Agency show.
Photographs from the Black Sky taken on May 12 show collapsed sections of bridges crossing the Seversky Donets River near the villages of Rubezhne and Stari Saltiv, about 10 miles south of the Russian border.
The village of Rubezhne is close to Stari Saltiv, although it shares the same name with the town further south in Luhansk.
Bridge over the Seversky Donets River, east of Stary Saltiv, Ukraine, on May 12 (BlackSky)
The villages were recently liberated by Ukrainian forces.
Another satellite image taken by the European Space Agency on May 8 shows that the bridge over the Pecheneg hydroelectric plant – the nearest bridge to the south – was also blown up.
There are only two smaller bridges to the north, in the now Russian-occupied villages of Ohirtsevo and Buhrukuvatka, which cross the river. Their current state is unknown, as clouds have obscured all recent satellite imagery.
Why bridges are important: If these bridges are compromised, the momentum of the Ukrainian offensive will be significantly hampered.
Not only inertia is important for Ukrainian forces. The main Russian supply lines, which are vital for the Russian military offensive near the city of Izyum and in the Luhansk region, are located just east of the Seversky Donets River in the Kharkiv region.
Although it is not entirely clear when the bridges were blown up or who was responsible for them, it is unlikely that the Ukrainians were responsible for their destruction. Bridges are too vital for their counter-offensive and for directing supply lines.
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