The Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed a bridge in the invaders’ rear in the Donetsk region

12 October, 2023 The destroyed bridge on the Horlivka-Yasynuvata highway, October 12, 2023 The defense forces destroyed a bridge on the Horlivka-Yasynuvata highway, located in the rear of the invaders in the Donetsk region. The local media published photos of the destroyed bridge.

This section of the road has long been under Ukrainian fire control. According to the invaders themselves, it has been subject to occasional artillery strikes, but traffic had not been paralyzed. The Russians were using this route to quickly transfer forces and resources between occupied Horlivka and Donetsk.

The bridge destroyed on October 12, located east of Vasylivka (here), will now significantly complicate travel and force the Russian military to use less convenient detour routes through occupied Yenakiieve. The published footage demonstrates that the strike caused serious damage to the infrastructure facility.

It is unlikely to be restored quickly.

Destroyed bridge on the Horlivka-Yasynuvata highway, October 12, 2023

According to the scale of the destruction, it can be assumed that the bridge, located 12 kilometers from Avdiyivka, was hit by an air strike, presumably by JDAM bombs. It has been reported that Ukrainian aviation uses 230-kilogram Mark 82 bombs equipped with JDAM-ER kits. Equipped with the JDAM-ER kit, the Mark 82 bomb is capable of striking the target at a distance of up to 72 kilometers with a maximum deviation from the target of up to 11 meters.

Their carriers are Su-27 and MiG-29 fighter jets of the Air Force of Ukraine.

A bomb with a JDAM-ER kit is suspended from the hardpoint of a Ukrainian Su-27 fighter. Photo credits: Ukrainian Air Force

The destruction of the bridge in the Russian rear may be a direct result of the activation of the Russian invaders in the Donetsk region. The Russian logisticians used the Horlivka-Yasynuvata highway to support the group that is currently trying to break through the Avdiyivka defense.

Now, with the destruction of the bridge and the collapse of traffic on the highway, it can be expected that the Russians will have a worse situation with the delivery of artillery ammunition, the transportation of new units, and the evacuation of the wounded.

On October 10, the Russian military launched an active offensive in the Avdiyivka sector.

The attacks are accompanied by highly concentrated and sustained artillery strikes, as well as the use of airstrikes.