The Russian government has accused Ukraine of using Western-supplied rockets, likely U.S.-made HIMARS, to destroy a bridge over the Seym River in the Kursk region, resulting in the deaths of volunteers assisting with civilian evacuations.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the attack completely destroyed the bridge in the Glushkovo district. Spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that this marked the first time the Kursk region had been hit by Western-made rocket launchers.

“As a result of the attack on the bridge over the Seym River in the Glushkovo district, it was completely destroyed, and volunteers who were assisting the evacuated civilian population were killed,” Zakharova said on the Telegram messaging app.

Meanwhile, the head of the Ukrainian army, Oleksandr Syrskyi, reported that Kyiv’s forces had advanced between 1 and 3 kilometers in some areas of the Kursk region, 11 days after the start of the incursion into Russia.

Ukraine has claimed to have taken control of 82 settlements over an area of 1,150 square kilometers in the region since August 6th. However, Reuters could not independently verify either side’s battlefield accounts.

Russia has accused the West of supporting and encouraging Ukraine’s first ground offensive on Russian territory, calling it a “terrorist invasion” that will not change the course of the war. The United States has stated that it cannot allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to win the conflict that began in February 2022, and deems the surprise incursion a protective move that justifies the use of U.S. weaponry.