Ukrainian forces blew up a bridge near Kyiv to cut off one route for Russian tanks advancing on the city

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Ukrainian forces blew up a bridge near Kyiv to cut off one route for Russian tanks advancing on the city
The bridge over the Teteriv River in Ivankiv, Ukraine on Feb 24, 2022Eyepress via Reuters
  • Russian forces entered parts of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Friday.
  • Ukraine said it blew up a bridge north of the city as it attempts to prevent the Russian advance.
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Ukraine's Defense Ministry said Friday morning it had blown up a bridge near Kyiv as part of its attempts to prevent Russian tanks from entering the capital city, according to CNN.

The ministry said that destroying the bridge — located over the Teteriv River near the town of Ivankiv — stopped a column of Russian forces from advancing, CNN reported. Ivankiv is around 40 miles north of Kyiv as the crow flies.

The bridge is on one of a number of ground routes that could be used by Russia to bring troops into Kyiv from the north. It was was blown up by Ukrainian airborne assault troops, Newsweek reported, citing the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.

There have been reports on social media that Ukrainian forces have also blown up two other bridges around the city, though those reports have not been confirmed.

Elsewhere in the country, Ukrainian forces blew up a bridge connecting the Ukrainian mainland to the Crimean peninsula, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

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The operation over the Teteriv River is unlikely to entirely prevent Russian troops from advancing towards Kyiv. There are numerous routes into Kyiv from the northwest of the city, and Russia has the ability to temporarily bridge rivers using military machinery.

CNN reported large explosions in the capital overnight and the Defence Ministry said Friday that Russian forces have taken control of Hostomel airfield, which is roughly 30 miles away from Kyiv's city center, news agency Interfax reported, per the Guardian. Controlling the Hostomel airfield will likely allow Russia to bring heavy machinery to Kyiv by air.

Representatives for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to Insider's request for further details on the bridge in Teteriv.

The operation came on the second day of President Vladimir Putin's all-out invasion of the country. Insider's live blog of the invasion is covering developments as they happen.

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