The Ukrainian military claims to have destroyed a pontoon bridge and part of a Russian armored column while trying to force a river in the Donbass. This is evidenced by footage published by the Ukrainian military on Friday. It is not yet possible to estimate the number of possible losses on the Russian side.

The footage published by the command of the air assault troops of Ukraine shows several burnt-out military vehicles and partially flooded parts of the pontoon bridge. The pictures also show many damaged or abandoned vehicles, including tanks, in the forest and on the road leading to the river, Reuters writes .

Russian troops have made three unsuccessful attempts to build bridges across the Seversky Donets River in eastern Ukraine, Sergei Gaidai, head of the military administration of the Lugansk region, said.

He claims that the Russian military tried to disguise their operations. “We destroyed Russian boats and helicopters that they used to cover their attempts [to build bridges],” Gaidai told the BBC.

According to Gaidai, Russian troops tried to surround the cities of Lysychansk and Severodonetsk in order to cut off Ukrainian forces. The governor described the situation in the Lugansk region as “very difficult.”

Presenting its daily intelligence update on Friday, the UK Department of Defense said Ukrainian troops had successfully thwarted an attempt by the Russian military to cross the river in the Donbass.

Citing photographs, the ministry claims that during the crossing of the Seversky Donets west of Severodonetsk, Russia lost significant forces – at least one battalion tactical group, and pontoon bridge equipment was disabled while crossing the river.

Crossing the river in a conflict is considered a highly risky maneuver, and this indicates pressure on the Russian command to make progress in eastern Ukraine, the British Ministry of Defense assesses the situation.

Reuters emphasizes that it cannot promptly verify reports of the disruption of the crossing, as well as the time and place of the clash. On the eve of the adviser to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Viktor Andrusiv, said that this happened near Belogorodka in the Lugansk region (a small town). Andrusiv claimed that the Ukrainian military “defeated an entire battalion-tactical group.”

According to Andrusiv, the battalion tactical group could have been part of the Russian 74th separate guards motorized rifle brigade and lost more than 50 pieces of equipment out of 70.

The BBC is also unable to promptly verify this claim. The Russian Defense Ministry did not comment on this topic.

Joe Inwood, BBC, Lviv

It is a scene of absolute devastation – an attempt to outflank the Ukrainian defenses has failed disastrously.

Burnt Russian tanks and armored vehicles near the eastern bank of the Seversky Donets River, west of Severodonetsk in the Luhansk region. Half-built pontoon bridges protrude into the water.

It is believed that almost an entire battalion of equipment was lost – it is not known how many people died.

At a morning briefing, the British Ministry of Defense said that what happened indicates increased pressure on the Russian command.

But elsewhere, they seem to have advanced – according to the reports, they took the nearby city of Rubizhnoye. This would mean that the strategically important city of Severodonetsk was surrounded on three sides.

If the Russian troops can take it, they will control a number of crossings across the river, which now cost them so dearly.

Ukraine has been pushing out Russian troops in the Kharkiv region in recent days, it follows from the statements of Kyiv. The main efforts of the Russian military in the Kharkiv direction are aimed at preventing the advance of Ukrainian forces in the area of the village of Vesele, according to the morning report of the Ukrainian General Staff.

Three bridges across the Seversky Donets River, which are critical for the counter-offensive of the Ukrainian army in the Kharkiv region, have been blown up, Hromadske reports, citing images published by CNN.

At the same time, Russia is trying to advance in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, follows from the report. The Russian Defense Ministry over the past few days has not commented on the situation behind the ground and only reports on air strikes. The British Ministry of Defense in its review on Friday morning writes that Russia is making significant efforts south of Kharkov, near Izyum and Severodonetsk in an attempt to achieve a breakthrough in the direction of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk.

Reuters journalists have confirmed that Ukraine now controls territory extending to the banks of the Seversky Donets River, about 40 kilometers southeast of Kharkiv.

Governor Gaidai said earlier on Friday that residential buildings in the Luhansk region were shelled 31 times over the past day. According to him, after the capture of Popasna, Russian troops are conducting assault operations in the direction of Orekhovo and in the Kamyshevakhi region.

In addition to the fighting in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, the world continues to follow the siege of Azovstal in Mariupol. Information about the evacuation of wounded Ukrainian soldiers from the plant has not yet been confirmed, Piotr Andryushchenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, said on Friday. He claims that Russian servicemen, under the cover of shelling, are trying to break through to the territory of the enterprise by land.

To keep getting BBC news, subscribe to our channels:

Download our application: