Latest news with #UkrainianArmy
Russia Today
14-07-2025
- 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.
ABC News
09-07-2025
- ABC News
Liberals, Labor reaction to RTI document accidently release
Photo shows Ukraine Drone Strike: Screengrab shows a small drone hovering above a truck's trailer with a plume of smoke in the background. Has Video Duration: 1 minute 41 seconds . 1 m 41 s
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia batters Ukraine with more than 700 drones, the largest barrage of the war, officials say
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia fired more than 700 attack and decoy drones at Ukraine overnight, topping previous nightly barrages for the third time in two weeks, part of Moscow's intensifying aerial and ground assault in the three-year war, Ukrainian officials said Wednesday. Russia has recently sought to overwhelm Ukraine's air defenses by launching major attacks that include increasing numbers of decoy drones. The most recent one appeared aimed at disrupting Ukraine's vital supply of Western weapons. The city of Lutsk, home to airfields used by the Ukrainian army, was the hardest hit, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It lies in western Ukraine near the border with Poland, a region that is a crucial hub for receiving foreign military aid. The attack comes at a time of increased uncertainty over the supply of crucial American weapons and as U.S.-led peace efforts have stalled. Zelenskyy said that the Kremlin was 'making a point' with it. The Russian Defense Ministry said that its forces took aim at Ukrainian air bases and that 'all the designated targets have been hit.' Meanwhile, Ukraine fired drones into Russia overnight, killing three people, officials said. The Russian attack, which included 728 drones and 13 missiles, had the largest number of drones fired in a single night in the war. On Friday, Russia fired 550 drones, less than a week after it launched 477, both the largest at the time, officials said. Beyond Lutsk, 10 regions were struck. One person was killed in the Khmelnytskyi region, and two wounded in the Kyiv region, officials said. Poland scrambled its fighter jets and put its armed forces on the highest level of alert in response to the attack, the Polish Armed Forces Operational Command wrote in an X post. Russia's bigger army has also launched a new drive to punch through parts of the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, where short-handed Ukrainian forces are under heavy strain. Trump says US must send more weapons to Ukraine U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he was 'not happy' with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hasn't budged from his ceasefire and peace demands since Trump took office in January and began to push for a settlement. Trump said Monday that the U.S. would have to send more weapons to Ukraine, just days after Washington paused critical weapons deliveries to Kyiv. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Trump 'has quite a tough style in terms of the phrasing he uses,' adding that Moscow hopes to 'continue our dialogue with Washington and our course aimed at repairing the badly damaged bilateral ties.' Zelenskyy, meanwhile, urged Ukraine's partners to impose stricter sanctions on Russian oil and those who help finance the Kremlin's war by buying it. 'Everyone who wants peace must act,' Zelenskyy said. The Ukrainian leader met Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday during a visit to Italy ahead of an international conference on rebuilding Ukraine. Both Russia and Ukraine look to build more drones Ukraine's air defenses shot down 296 drones and seven missiles during the overnight attack, while 415 more drones were lost from radars or jammed, an air force statement said. Ukrainian interceptor drones, developed to counter the Shahed ones fired by Russia, are increasingly effective, Zelenskyy said, adding that domestic production of anti-aircraft drones is being scaled up in partnership with some Western countries. Western military analysts say Russia is also boosting its drone manufacturing and could soon be capable of launching 1,000 a night at Ukraine. 'Russia continues to expand its domestic drone production capacity amid the ever-growing role of tactical drones in front-line combat operations and Russia's increasingly large nightly long-range strike packages against Ukraine,' the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said late Tuesday. Ukraine has also built up its own offensive drone threat, reaching deep into Russia with some long-range strikes. Russia's Defense Ministry said Wednesday that air defenses downed 86 Ukrainian drones over six Russian regions overnight, including the Moscow region. Flights were temporarily suspended at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport and the international airport of Kaluga, south of Moscow. The governor of Russia's Kursk border region, Alexander Khinshtein, said that a Ukrainian drone attack on the region's capital city just before midnight killed three people and wounded seven others, including a 5-year-old boy. Meanwhile, Europe's top human rights court ruled Wednesday that Russia had violated international law during the war in Ukraine, the first time an international court has found Moscow responsible for human rights abuses since the full-scale invasion in 2022. The court also ruled Russia was behind the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, the first time Moscow was named by an international court as being responsible for the 2014 tragedy that claimed 298 lives. Any decision is largely symbolic. ___ Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at
BreakingNews.ie
09-07-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Russia launches another record drone attack on Ukraine, say Ukrainian officials
Russia fired a record 728 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine overnight, as well as 13 missiles, the Ukrainian air force has said. The development represents the latest offensive escalation amid mounting Russian aerial and ground attacks in the more than three-year war. Advertisement The city of Lutsk, which lies in the north-west of Ukraine, along the border with Poland and Belarus, was the hardest hit, although 10 other regions were also struck, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said. Firefighters tackle a blaze following a Russian attack in Volyn region (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP) Lutsk is home to airfields used by the Ukrainian army. Cargo planes and fighter jets routinely fly over the city. No casualties were immediately reported, as emergency crews continued to assess the damage. Western regions of Ukraine are a crucial logistical backbone in the war, as airfields and depots there receive vital foreign military aid before forwarding it to other parts of the country. Russian long-range attacks have increasingly sought to disrupt those supply corridors. Russia has recently sought to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences by launching massive aerial assaults, including adding more decoy drones to its attacks. Advertisement Russia launched its previous largest aerial assault late in the night of July 4 into the following day, with the biggest prior to that occurring less than a week earlier. Russia has recently sought to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences by launching massive aerial assaults (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP) Russia's bigger army has also launched a new drive to punch through parts of the 620-mile (1,000km) front line, where short-handed Ukrainian forces are under heavy strain. US president Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he was 'not happy' with Russian president Vladimir Putin, who has not budged from his ceasefire and peace demands since Mr Trump took office in January and began to push for a settlement. Mr Trump said on Monday that the US would have to send more weapons to Ukraine, just days after Washington paused critical weapons deliveries to Kyiv amid uncertainty over the American administration's commitment to Ukraine's defence. Advertisement Mr Zelensky said that the Kremlin was 'making a point' with the attack, as US-led peace efforts flounder. He urged Ukraine's partners to impose stricter sanctions on Russian oil and those who help finance the Kremlin's war by buying it. 'Everyone who wants peace must act,' Mr Zelensky said. The Ukrainian leader was due to meet Pope Leo on Wednesday during a visit to Italy. Russian soldiers fire from a D-30 howitzer towards Ukrainian positions in Ukraine (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP) Two people were wounded in the Kyiv region during the overnight barrage, officials said, as emergency crews continued to assess the damage. Poland scrambled its fighter jets and put its armed forces on the highest level of alert in response to Russia's attack, the Polish armed forces operational command wrote in a post on X. Advertisement Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen warned on Tuesday that Russia could pose a credible security threat to the European Union by the end of the decade. She called for defence industries in Europe and Ukraine to be ramped up within five years. Ukraine's air defences shot down 296 drones and seven missiles overnight, while 415 more drones were lost from radars or jammed, an air force statement said. Ukrainian interceptor drones, developed to counter Russia's Shahed drones, are increasingly effective, Mr Zelensky said, noting that most targets were intercepted and that domestic production of anti-aircraft drones was being scaled up. Western military analysts say Russia is boosting its drone manufacturing and could soon be capable of launching 1,000 drones a night at Ukraine. Advertisement
The Independent
09-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Russia fires a record 728 drones and 13 missiles at Ukraine, Ukrainian air force says
Russia fired a record 728 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine overnight, as well as 13 missiles, the Ukrainian air force said Wednesday, in the latest escalation amid mounting Russian aerial attacks in the more than three-year war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the city of Lutsk, in Ukraine's northwest, bordering Poland and Belarus, was the hardest hit, though 10 other regions were also struck. Lutsk is home to airfields used by the Ukrainian army. Cargo planes and fighter jets routinely fly over the city. Ukraine's air defenses shot down 296 drones and seven missiles, while 415 more drones were lost from radars or jammed, an air force statement said. ___ Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at
