Latest news with #Kostiantynivka
CNN
21 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Ukraine's fishing net defense against high-tech threat shows the challenges for Kyiv to respond to Russia's summer offensive
The last lifelines into besieged towns along the eastern front line for Ukrainian troops, caught in a web of increasingly lethal and sophisticated drone warfare, rely on a technology millennia old: a fishing net. Strung up on poles along the roadside, the nets provide cover for Ukrainian troops from Russian drones often circulating deep inside their territory, as the tiny explosive devices get caught in their tough string. Few places are this low-tech defense against a high-tech threat more vital than Kostiantynivka, one of three frontline towns where Ukrainian forces are increasingly at risk of encirclement by a Russian summer offensive, rapidly turning incremental gains into a strategic advantage. A Ukrainian commander defending the area told CNN he had not received new personnel in his unit for eight months and was only resupplying frontline positions – where sometimes a pair of soldiers hold off over a dozen Russian attackers – with drones, as vehicles would not reach the trenches. Near Kostiantynivka, locals pass unperturbed in the gaps they have made in the nets – their daily needs more vital than the net's protection – leaving holes sometimes exploited by the more deft Russian drone operators. Moscow's elite drone unit, Sudnyi Den have posted video of their drones inside the netting, sometimes working in pairs. In footage from July 20, one drone strikes a Ukrainian military SUV, while another films the impact as it sits on the gravel nearby, waiting for another target. Four civilians have been killed and 31 injured over the past week, due to Russian strikes, according to Kostiantynivka City Officials. The children have been evacuated and just over 8,000 civilians remain in the town itself. Its streets are peppered with cars struck by Russian drones, over the last month when the town came into range of advancing Russian forces. Even on the town's safer edges, a white minivan sat abandoned, its passenger side crumpled in from a drone strike hours earlier on Saturday. The driver of the vehicle was killed, the local governor said Sunday, even though the explosives on the drone failed to detonate. Lying nearby is a tangle of thin string that is defining the war now – not fishing net, but fiber-optic cable, used to prevent drones being jammed. Russian and Ukrainian operators use tens of kilometers of the razor-thin glass wires to stay physically attached to some drones – the cables stretching out across vast expanses of the battlefield – enabling them to directly control the devices in spite of any jamming. Shuffling past the ruins, is Tatiana, who is returning from her old home on the outskirts of town, where she has fed her dog and collected some possessions. 'It Is heavy there, really heavy,' she said. 'Nobody on the street. I have nowhere else to go'. In the past week, according to mapping by the open-source monitor DeepState, Russian forces have advanced to within eight kilometers of the town's south-eastern edges, and to its south-west. Maintaining incremental progress at the cost of huge casualties has been the hallmark of Moscow's war effort for years, but the simultaneous advances around the eastern towns of Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka and, further north, Kupiansk, risk giving Russian President Vladimir Putin a reshaped front line and transforming his claim on the Ukrainian Donetsk region, a key goal. Kostiantynivka's central market is still an oasis of activity, where locals bustle to gather food, despite the risk of drone and artillery attacks. Many are reluctant to let their faces be filmed, an indication they might fear being labelled pro-Ukrainian in the event the town is soon occupied. 'Now they will bomb us,' said one elderly woman, a reference to fears Russian forces use news footage to assist targeting. Another man, who did not give his name, a native of Azerbaijan selling fruit, loudly proclaimed 'Glory to Ukraine' and 'Glory to the Heroes,' pro-Ukrainian slogans. 'What do you see?' he asked. 'There is no calm today. Shooting, of course.' Control for the skies takes place underground. Vasyl, a local commander, purveys a bank of monitors inside his basement. The war now is split in two: those hunted by drones on the horrific front lines, and the hunters themselves, their drone operations bunkers and positions hit often by airstrikes. On the screen behind Vasyl, a mushroom cloud burrows into the sky – a Russian airstrike trying to target Ukrainian operators. His enduring problem is people: for eight months Vasyl, from the 93rd Mechanized Brigade, has not been sent new personnel. 'We have a critical shortage of personnel. No one wants to fight. The war is over (for them). The old personnel are left, they are tired and want to be replaced, but no one is replacing them.' Vasyl's remaining infantry hold positions sometimes in pairs and are delivered food, water and ammunition in the half-light of dawn or dusk when the larger Ukrainian Vampire quadcopter drones can fly. 'We load 10 kilograms of supplies,' he said. 'And it flies 12-15 kilometers, carrying supplies. Food, ammunition, batteries, chargers for radio stations.' Frontline positions are so vulnerable to Russian drones that mortar teams often have to walk many hours on foot, Vasyl said, carrying 30 kilograms of ammunition and equipment. The commander said newer Russian drone teams, known as the Rubicon unit, are well-trained and professional, sometimes using only a thread, dangled by another drone flying on top of a Ukrainian device, to entangle in its rotors and cause the Ukrainian drone to crash. Vasyl said poor communication from the front lines of the nature of military problems was a serious issue. 'A lot of things are not communicated and are hidden' he said. 'We don't communicate a lot of things to our state. Our state doesn't communicate a lot of things to the people.' 'To understand the situation, you have to be in it,' he said. 'When we say that the situation is difficult, no one understands. You have to be in our shoes. We are tired. Everyone is tired of this war, and I believe that other countries are also tired of helping us.'
CNN
21 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Ukraine's fishing net defense against high-tech threat shows the challenges for Kyiv to respond to Russia's summer offensive
The last lifelines into besieged towns along the eastern front line for Ukrainian troops, caught in a web of increasingly lethal and sophisticated drone warfare, rely on a technology millennia old: a fishing net. Strung up on poles along the roadside, the nets provide cover for Ukrainian troops from Russian drones often circulating deep inside their territory, as the tiny explosive devices get caught in their tough string. Few places are this low-tech defense against a high-tech threat more vital than Kostiantynivka, one of three frontline towns where Ukrainian forces are increasingly at risk of encirclement by a Russian summer offensive, rapidly turning incremental gains into a strategic advantage. A Ukrainian commander defending the area told CNN he had not received new personnel in his unit for eight months and was only resupplying frontline positions – where sometimes a pair of soldiers hold off over a dozen Russian attackers – with drones, as vehicles would not reach the trenches. Near Kostiantynivka, locals pass unperturbed in the gaps they have made in the nets – their daily needs more vital than the net's protection – leaving holes sometimes exploited by the more deft Russian drone operators. Moscow's elite drone unit, Sudnyi Den have posted video of their drones inside the netting, sometimes working in pairs. In footage from July 20, one drone strikes a Ukrainian military SUV, while another films the impact as it sits on the gravel nearby, waiting for another target. Four civilians have been killed and 31 injured over the past week, due to Russian strikes, according to Kostiantynivka City Officials. The children have been evacuated and just over 8,000 civilians remain in the town itself. Its streets are peppered with cars struck by Russian drones, over the last month when the town came into range of advancing Russian forces. Even on the town's safer edges, a white minivan sat abandoned, its passenger side crumpled in from a drone strike hours earlier on Saturday. The driver of the vehicle was killed, the local governor said Sunday, even though the explosives on the drone failed to detonate. Lying nearby is a tangle of thin string that is defining the war now – not fishing net, but fiber-optic cable, used to prevent drones being jammed. Russian and Ukrainian operators use tens of kilometers of the razor-thin glass wires to stay physically attached to some drones – the cables stretching out across vast expanses of the battlefield – enabling them to directly control the devices in spite of any jamming. Shuffling past the ruins, is Tatiana, who is returning from her old home on the outskirts of town, where she has fed her dog and collected some possessions. 'It Is heavy there, really heavy,' she said. 'Nobody on the street. I have nowhere else to go'. In the past week, according to mapping by the open-source monitor DeepState, Russian forces have advanced to within eight kilometers of the town's south-eastern edges, and to its south-west. Maintaining incremental progress at the cost of huge casualties has been the hallmark of Moscow's war effort for years, but the simultaneous advances around the eastern towns of Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka and, further north, Kupiansk, risk giving Russian President Vladimir Putin a reshaped front line and transforming his claim on the Ukrainian Donetsk region, a key goal. Kostiantynivka's central market is still an oasis of activity, where locals bustle to gather food, despite the risk of drone and artillery attacks. Many are reluctant to let their faces be filmed, an indication they might fear being labelled pro-Ukrainian in the event the town is soon occupied. 'Now they will bomb us,' said one elderly woman, a reference to fears Russian forces use news footage to assist targeting. Another man, who did not give his name, a native of Azerbaijan selling fruit, loudly proclaimed 'Glory to Ukraine' and 'Glory to the Heroes,' pro-Ukrainian slogans. 'What do you see?' he asked. 'There is no calm today. Shooting, of course.' Control for the skies takes place underground. Vasyl, a local commander, purveys a bank of monitors inside his basement. The war now is split in two: those hunted by drones on the horrific front lines, and the hunters themselves, their drone operations bunkers and positions hit often by airstrikes. On the screen behind Vasyl, a mushroom cloud burrows into the sky – a Russian airstrike trying to target Ukrainian operators. His enduring problem is people: for eight months Vasyl, from the 93rd Mechanized Brigade, has not been sent new personnel. 'We have a critical shortage of personnel. No one wants to fight. The war is over (for them). The old personnel are left, they are tired and want to be replaced, but no one is replacing them.' Vasyl's remaining infantry hold positions sometimes in pairs and are delivered food, water and ammunition in the half-light of dawn or dusk when the larger Ukrainian Vampire quadcopter drones can fly. 'We load 10 kilograms of supplies,' he said. 'And it flies 12-15 kilometers, carrying supplies. Food, ammunition, batteries, chargers for radio stations.' Frontline positions are so vulnerable to Russian drones that mortar teams often have to walk many hours on foot, Vasyl said, carrying 30 kilograms of ammunition and equipment. The commander said newer Russian drone teams, known as the Rubicon unit, are well-trained and professional, sometimes using only a thread, dangled by another drone flying on top of a Ukrainian device, to entangle in its rotors and cause the Ukrainian drone to crash. Vasyl said poor communication from the front lines of the nature of military problems was a serious issue. 'A lot of things are not communicated and are hidden' he said. 'We don't communicate a lot of things to our state. Our state doesn't communicate a lot of things to the people.' 'To understand the situation, you have to be in it,' he said. 'When we say that the situation is difficult, no one understands. You have to be in our shoes. We are tired. Everyone is tired of this war, and I believe that other countries are also tired of helping us.'
Reuters
6 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Russian attacks kill two in east Ukraine, 33 hurt in Kharkiv
KHARKIV, Ukraine, July 24 (Reuters) - Two people were killed in a Russian strike on eastern Ukraine on Thursday and at least 33 were wounded when Russian glide bombs struck a residential neighbourhood in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, regional officials said. The Donetsk regional prosecutor's office in eastern Ukraine said the two deaths were in the city of Kostiantynivka, where 12 people were also wounded. In Kharkiv, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said a 10-year-old child and a month-old infant were among those hurt when Ukraine's second-largest city was hit by two glide bombs - air-launched munitions fitted with wings and satellite-aided navigation to extend their range and precision. "These are utterly senseless strikes with no military purpose whatsoever," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on X. Thick black smoke billowed above the northern district of Kharkiv where a local business and an apartment bloc were damaged. Stunned residents fled, with some clutching children and flames engulfing parked cars. "I looked around and everything was smashed," said Yevhen Hanushchak, holding a crate with his cat outside a damaged apartment building. "Tons of smoke, people running and screaming, grabbing their things." Russia, which denies targeting civilians, has stepped up airstrikes on Ukrainian towns and cities since talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in its nearly 3-1/2 year-old-war in Ukraine stalled this year. Glide bombs have been particularly devastating in areas closer to the battlefield. The regional prosecutors said Thursday's attack was launched nearly 100 km (62 miles) away.
New York Times
19-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Why Russia Is Gaining Ground in Ukraine
Russia's summer offensive in Ukraine is gaining ground as its forces attack on multiple fronts. In June, the country's numerical advantages in troops and air power produced its biggest monthly gains in territory since the beginning of the year. Russia's aims are not simply territorial. Analysts say it wants to methodically destroy the Ukrainian military, as Moscow slowly advances its own troops. The biggest challenge for Moscow may be far from the front lines, as the Russian economy can no longer keep pace with escalating military spending. For Ukraine, its ability to sustain the war may also be decided far away, as the Trump administration sends mixed signals about its desire and ability to continue arming Kyiv's forces. Last week, President Trump said that NATO countries would buy weapons from the United States to give to Ukraine. The ground war Over the past two months, Russian units have been able to step up their attacks on multiple fronts, from Ukraine's Sumy region in the north to the steppes of Zaporizhzhia in the south. Russia now controls more than two-thirds of Ukraine's Donetsk region — the main theater of the ground war. Russian forces have carved out a 10-mile-deep pocket around the Ukrainian troops defending the crucial city of Kostiantynivka, partly surrounding them from the east, south and west. 25 miles UKRAINE Detail area Ukraine Kramatorsk Druzhkivka Bakhmut AREA UNDER RUSSIAN CONTROL Kostiantynivka Avdiivka Donetsk Russia Note: As of July 1 Source: Institute for the Study of War with American Enterprise Institute's Critical Threats Project By The New York Times Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kyiv facing massive Russian attack, Ukraine says
Ukraine's capital Kyiv is again under a massive overnight Russian drone attack, local officials say, with at least 10 people reported injured and fires burning across the city. Authorities in Kyiv say drone wreckage has hit the roof of a residential building in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. Footage on social media, as yet unverified by the BBC, shows explosions in the night sky, as air defence units begin repelling the attack. Ukraine's military has also warned of a threat of a ballistic missile attack. Last night, Ukraine reported the biggest ever aerial attack from Russia, after 728 drones and 13 cruise or ballistic missiles struck cities around the country in multiple waves. In the early hours of Thursday, morning Kyiv's military administration reported Russian drone strikes in six city districts. "Residential buildings, vehicles, warehouses, office and non-residential buildings are burning," administration head Tymur Tkachenko said in a post on Telegram. He urged city residents to shelter until the air raid siren was lifted. Overnight, Ukraine's air force reported a threat of Russian drone attacks in a number of regions. It was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties outside Kyiv. Russia's military has not commented on the reported latest attack. In other developments: Ukraine's emergency service DSNS said late on Wednesday that three people had been killed in a Russian air strike in the town of Kostiantynivka - close to the front line in eastern Ukraine The US resumed sending some weapons to Ukraine, Reuters reported late on Wednesday, days after it halted shipments of some critical arms Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russia's summer push in Ukraine targets three fronts but faces stern resistance Steve Rosenberg: Moscow shrugs off Trump's irritation with Putin
