Source: Satellite imagery from Copernicus
Witness the remarkable defensive line stretching 27 miles in southern Ukraine, a recent creation that did not exist just two months ago.
In a twist of fate, Russia had constructed a similar defensive structure in late 2022 to fend off a Ukrainian counteroffensive. However, the tides have now turned.
Featuring ditches, concrete barriers strategically placed to guide enemy tanks into vulnerable positions, and trenches for soldiers to engage from, this defensive setup paints a bleak picture for Ukrainians.
Despite sustaining heavy losses, Russia seems poised to continue its advance, leaving Ukrainian forces with the daunting task of slowing down the onslaught.
Following a failed counteroffensive and enduring another harsh winter repelling Russian assaults, Ukrainian troops find themselves depleted and facing critical shortages.
To bolster their ranks, the government has approved a conscription plan, while European allies have pledged to send essential supplies like vehicles and missiles. A recent $60 billion military aid package from the U.S. House of Representatives offers a much-needed boost to Ukraine’s war efforts.
However, what Ukraine truly craves is time.
Training new recruits will take months, and the influx of European equipment will be gradual throughout the year.
Analysts speculate that Ukraine is unlikely to launch a major counteroffensive this year, opting instead to focus on rebuilding its forces. Yet, they must continue to fend off Russian assaults and prevent minor enemy gains from escalating into major breakthroughs.
This urgency has spurred the rapid construction of ambitious defensive lines across the region.
These wide ditches, spanning at least 10 feet, serve as impassable barriers for tanks.
Reuters/Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy
Concrete obstacles strategically block vehicle movements across open terrains.
Reuters
Reinforced trenches in Zaporizhzhia offer infantry cover and protection.
Reuters
With an allocation of approximately $800 million, the Ukrainian government is actively fortifying about 600 miles of the front line this year, with construction well underway.
The defensive structures showcased above represent only a fraction of Ukraine’s extensive fortification efforts, much of which is visible in publicly accessible satellite imagery from Copernicus, a component of the European Union’s space program.
American military analysts in Wiesbaden, Germany, collaborating closely with Ukrainian counterparts, have been utilizing satellite data and intelligence to identify vulnerabilities in Ukraine’s defenses.
Since the beginning of the year, Ukraine has erected extensive defensive lines in the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions.
Source: Territory held by Russia based on data from the Institute for the Study of War with American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project
Note: Analysis based on satellite imagery. Defensive lines include major fortifications like anti-tank ditches and exclude…
2024-04-22 18:56:23
Link from www.nytimes.com