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Russia Today
a day ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukraine's summer of losing ground: Here's how Russia is cracking the front line
Over the past month, Russia's summer campaign has maintained the methodical pace set in May and June – deliberate, grinding, but steadily effective. In total, Russian forces have seized roughly 500 square kilometers of territory – three times more than during the same period last year. While the advances may appear modest on the map, they reflect a consistent application of pressure along multiple axes and a broader shift in battlefield momentum. Active fighting has unfolded across four key sectors, stretching from the northern borderlands near Sumy to the southern reaches of the Zaporozhye front. Each offers a distinct tactical picture, yet together they form a coherent narrative of Russia's evolving strategy. Below, we examine the month's developments, front by front – from north to south. Russian forces continue to push forward along the Sumy axis, working to establish a buffer zone on the Ukrainian side of the border with Russia's Kursk Region – directly across from last year's staging area near Sudzha. Faced with a potential threat to the regional capital of Sumy, Ukrainian command was forced to redeploy units from other sectors and pull reserves into the area. In late June, the Ukrainian army launched a series of counterattacks near Alekseevka and Kondratovka, aiming to squeeze the Russian bridgehead from the flanks or potentially sever it altogether. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army has retained a presence in Tetkino – the only settlement on Russian territory, in Kursk Region, where Ukrainian forces still hold positions. As of early July, Ukraine's counteroffensives appear to have ground to a halt. Russian troops succeeded in dislodging the Ukrainian troops from one of their two remaining footholds in Tetkino. The coming weeks will determine whether the Russian advance into Ukrainian territory will continue – or if the focus will shift to consolidating gains and expanding the border buffer zone. Last autumn, Russian forces secured a foothold on the western bank of the Oskol River north of Kupiansk, while simultaneously advancing toward the river from the south. By late June and early July, reports surfaced suggesting that Russian units had captured Moskovka – a key stronghold along the strategic Kupiansk-Volchansk railway. Encircling Kupiansk effectively would require cutting off two major arteries: The main supply route running west through Blagodatovka, and another road leading south through Osinovо. What's the situation now? Despite earlier claims, there is still no confirmed Russian presence in Moskovka, suggesting the village remains contested or under Ukrainian control. Overall, the Kupiansk axis is viewed as a secondary theater. Operations in this area appear designed primarily to pin down Ukrainian forces, preventing them from reinforcing more critical sectors of the front. After a successful push in May, Russian advances in the Konstantinovka sector have slowed somewhat. Russian forces are now pressing up against the city's primary defensive lines, advancing along the Stepanovka, Aleksandro-Kalinovo, and Plescheyevka axes. What's unfolding follows a now-familiar Russian approach to urban warfare. First, the city is flanked and key lines of communication are brought under fire control. Then begins the grinding phase: Sustained artillery bombardment wears down the defending garrison as Russian troops close in from three directions. Over time, this pressure begins to erode the city's defenses. At that point, Ukrainian forces face two choices – either retreat in an orderly fashion, as seen in Kurakhovo, or, if ordered to hold at all costs, risk a defensive collapse with potentially serious consequences for adjacent sectors, as happened in Avdeevka and Ugledar. Meanwhile Russian forces are currently focused on wearing down the Ukrainian garrison. The main roads into Konstantinovka are under Russian fire control, and pressure on the flanks is steadily increasing. On the northern approach from Chasov Yar, however, progress remains limited due to difficult terrain – an issue we addressed in a previous report. The situation around Pokrovsk mirrors that of Konstantinovka – and together, these battles may mark some of the most consequential developments of the summer campaign. On the eastern outskirts of Pokrovsk, Russian forces have advanced up to 8km toward Rodinskoe, bringing two of the three main supply routes into Pokrovsk and neighboring Mirnograd under fire control. Further south, between Pokrovsk and Velikaya Novoselka, Russian troops achieved their most significant gains this month – pushing up to 15km across a 30-kilometer-wide front. Their advance reached the administrative boundary of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), with the village of Komar – an important Ukrainian defensive position – reportedly cleared and brought under Russian control. On July 7, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the capture of Dachnoye, a village located on the DPR's border and the first settlement in Ukraine's Dnepropetrovsk Region to fall under Russian control. As part of Ukraine's fortified defense line, securing Dachnoye marks both a tactical and symbolic milestone for the Russian advance. After nearly a year and a half of relative calm, the southern front near the Dnepr River has erupted with renewed activity. Russian forces are now advancing along three axes in the region. Notably, they have captured Kamenskoye – a strategically significant settlement on the riverbank. On July 11, Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov visited the forward command post of the Dnepr Group of Forces, signaling high-level attention to the area. In the coming weeks, it should become clearer whether this uptick in operations is intended to stretch Ukrainian reserves and apply pressure – or if it marks the opening phase of a broader Russian offensive in the south.
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukraine accuses NYT of spreading ‘Russian propaganda'
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has accused the New York Times of propaganda after its reporter traveled to the part of western Russia which previously came under attack by Ukrainian troops. Kiev took issue with the July 12 story by Times journalist and photographer Nanna Heitmann, who described life in the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine. In August 2024, Ukrainian forces crossed Russia's internationally recognized border and captured the small city of Sudzha and dozens of villages, but were eventually expelled last April. Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky said at the time that the incursion was meant to acquire leverage for future peace talks. 'Whoever at Times thought it was smart to report alongside Russian war criminals made the dumbest decision. This isn't balance or 'the other side of the story.' This is simply letting Russian propaganda mislead the audience,' Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgy Tikhy wrote on X on Saturday. Heitmann, who said she was at times escorted by the Chechnya-based Akhmat unit, took photos of Russian soldiers patrolling the destroyed villages, clearing mines, and helping to evacuate civilians. She spoke to locals whose homes were damaged by the fighting, and visited a shelter for evacuated civilians. The journalist said she observed the bodies of civilians and soldiers, claiming that 'the uniforms visible among the fallen were mostly Russian.' 'Amid shattered homes, other bodies had lain decomposing for months, seemingly untouched, the circumstances of their deaths unknown,' Heitmann wrote. She reported that some locals criticized the government for not evacuating everyone in time, but mentioned that Russian officials denied these claims and said more than 150,000 people were evacuated from the region. Ukrainian troops allowed multiple Western news crews, including CNN, France 24, El Mundo and Deutsche Welle, to accompany them during the incursion and to report from occupied Sudzha. Moscow subsequently charged several foreign journalists with border violations. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused the Western media of propaganda on Kiev's behalf and of covering up atrocities. According to Russia, Ukrainian troops massacred civilians in several villages, including Russkoye Porechnoye and Nikolayevo-Daryino.
CBS News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Russian agents killed after allegedly assassinating Ukraine colonel in bold daylight attack, Kyiv says
Ukraine's security agency said Sunday it tracked down and killed Russian agents suspected of shooting one of its senior officers to death in the Ukrainian capital. The Security Service of Ukraine, or SBU, said in a statement that the suspected Russian agents were killed in the Kyiv region after they offered resistance to arrest. A video released by the agency showed two bodies lying on the ground. The agency said earlier that a man and a woman were suspected to be involved in Thursday's assassination of Ivan Voronych, an SBU colonel, in a bold daylight attack that was caught on surveillance cameras. A CCTV footage shows a Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) officer walking down the stairs moments before he was shot in Kyiv, Ukraine July 10, 2025 in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. Ukrainska Pravda/via REUTERS Media reports claimed that Voronych was involved in covert operations in Russia-occupied territories of Ukraine and reportedly helped organize Ukraine's surprise incursion into Russia's Kursk region last year. Ukrainian media posted what appeared to be security camera footage showing a man walking through a parking lot with bags being attacked by another man who ran towards the victim. The suspect fired five times at the victim with a silenced pistol, Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing SBU sources. Police in Kyiv released video from the crime scene and said that "criminal investigation officers, dog handlers and other services are working at the scene." A CCTV footage shows the purported killer running moments after the shooting of a Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) officer in Kyiv, Ukraine July 10, 2025 in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. Ukrainska Pravda/via REUTERS Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine continued to rage on. After a series of massive attacks across Ukraine involving hundreds of exploding drones, Russia launched 60 drones overnight, Ukraine's air force said. It said 20 of them were shot down and 20 others were jammed. The Ukrainian authorities reported that four civilians were killed and 13 others injured in Russian attacks on the Donetsk and Kherson regions since Saturday. High-profile Russians previously targeted Moscow has accused Kyiv of orchestrating a spate of high-profile killings of Russian military officials or pro-Kremlin commentators since the Kremlin launched its invasion in February 2022. In April, an explosive device ripped through a parked car near Moscow, killing a senior Russian general. Images from the scene posted on social media showed a blaze that gutted a car. That attack came four months after another Russian general was killed along with his deputy in an explosion in Moscow. The blast appeared to be similar to previous attacks on Russians linked to Moscow's military offensive in Ukraine. Kyiv has in some cases claimed responsibility for previous attacks. Last year, Igor Kirillov, the head of the Russian military's chemical weapons unit, was killed by a bomb planted in a scooter in Moscow in December. Ukrainian security sources told CBS News the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) killed Kirillov in a special operation. After Kirillov's killing, Putin made a rare admission of failings by his powerful security agencies, saying: "We must not allow such very serious blunders to happen." In December 2023, Illia Kiva, a former pro-Moscow Ukrainian lawmaker who fled to Russia, was shot and killed near Moscow. The Ukrainian military intelligence lauded the killing, warning that other "traitors of Ukraine" would share the same fate. Other attacks include the August 2022 car bombing of nationalist Darya Dugina and an explosion in a Saint Petersburg cafe in April 2023 that killed high-profile military correspondent Maxim Fomin, known as Vladlen Tatarsky. A Russian woman, who said she presented the figurine on orders of a contact in Ukraine, was convicted and sentenced to 27 years in prison. Agence France-Presse contrinuted to this report.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Korea's Kim offers Russia 'unconditional support'
North Korea's Kim Jong Un has reiterated his support for Russia in the war against Ukraine, according to state media on Sunday. The reiteration of support came after Kim met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday in the eastern North Korean port city of Wonsan, Pyongyang's state news agency KCNA reported. Kim told Lavrov they "have the same views on all strategic issues" and that Pyongyang was "ready to unconditionally support and encourage all the measures taken by the Russian leadership as regards the tackling of the root cause of the Ukrainian crisis," KCNA reported. Kim and Lavrov exchanged views in "an atmosphere full of warm comradely trust," according to the statement. Lavrov's visit to North Korea was the latest in a series of high-profile visits by top Moscow officials as both countries deepen military and political ties in the midst of Russia's offensive against Ukraine. North Korea sent thousands of troops to Russia's Kursk region to oust Kyiv forces and has also provided the Russian army with weapons. After visiting North Korea last month, the head of Russia's Security Council and former defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, said that Kim had agreed to send 6,000 more military engineers and workers to the Kursk region bordering Ukraine, underlining the growing military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang. South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) confirmed those figures. The spy agency also said that North Korea has now provided Russia with more than 10 million artillery rounds and missiles, receiving economic cooperation and military technology in return. At the end of June, North Korean state media showed images of Kim honoring the flag-draped coffins of what appeared to be North Korean soldiers killed while fighting for Russia against Ukraine. Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah
France 24
3 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Kim Jong-un reaffirms North Korean support for Russia in its war with Ukraine
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un offered Moscow his full support for its war in Ukraine during talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Pyongyang state media said Sunday. Lavrov's visit to North Korea was the latest in a series of high-profile trips by top Moscow officials as both countries deepen military and political ties amid Russia 's offensive against Kyiv. Pyongyang sent thousands of troops to Russia's Kursk region to oust Ukrainian forces and has also provided the Russian army with artillery shells and missiles. Moscow said Lavrov's talks with Kim were held in a "warm comradely atmosphere." Lavrov expressed "sincere gratitude to Pyongyang" for its role in Kursk and support of Russia's operation, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. Moscow also said the two sides "agreed" that the West was to blame for "the growing tension" on the Korean peninsula. 01:46 The ministry earlier posted a video on Telegram of the two men shaking hands and greeting each other with a hug. It said the talks were held in Wonsan, a city on North Korea's east coast where a massive resort was opened earlier this month -- one of leader Kim's pet projects. Kim told Lavrov that Pyongyang was "ready to unconditionally support and encourage all the measures taken by the Russian leadership as regards the tackling of the root cause of the Ukrainian crisis", KCNA said. The North Korean leader also expressed a "firm belief that the Russian army and people would surely win victory in accomplishing the sacred cause of defending the dignity and basic interests of the country". He lauded Putin's "outstanding leadership", the report said. The two men otherwise discussed "important matters for faithfully implementing the agreements made at the historic DPRK-Russia summit talks in June 2024", KCNA said, referring to North Korea by its official acronym. Lavrov told Kim that Putin "hopes for continued direct contacts in the very near future", according to Russia's TASS news agency. He left Pyongyang and landed in Beijing on Sunday to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Foreign Ministers' Council, TASS reported on its Telegram account. 'Invincible alliance' Ahead of Lavrov's recent visit, Russia announced that it would begin twice-a-week flights between Moscow and Pyongyang. Lavrov lauded Wonsan as "a good tourist attraction", adding: "We hope it will be popular not only with local citizens, but also with Russians." KCNA also issued a statement on Sunday on the meeting between Lavrov and his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui, held a day earlier in the coastal city, saying that bilateral ties were becoming an "invincible alliance". Moscow "expressed its firm support for the DPRK side in its just efforts for defending the security of the state" during the meeting, KCNA said. In return, Choe demonstrated "full sympathy and support for all the measures taken by the Russian government to remove the root cause of the Ukrainian conflict". TASS earlier reported that Lavrov thanked the "heroic" North Korean soldiers who have been deployed to aid Russia during the ministerial meeting. Around 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed and thousands more wounded fighting for Russia, Seoul has said. 06:19 North Korea only confirmed it had deployed troops to support Russia's war in April, and admitted its soldiers had been killed in combat. Both sides "emphasised their determination to jointly counter the hegemonic aspirations of extra-regional players, which are leading to escalating tensions in Northeast Asia and throughout the Asia-Pacific region", Russia's foreign ministry said. Vladimir Putin to Pyongyang.
