The Ukrainian military and political leadership has been heavily criticized for the delayed construction of defense lines. Now this problem is coming to light again, especially against the background of the offensive of the Russian army in the Kharkiv region.
ZSU officer Mykola Melnyk told liga.net that in Kharkiv region there are some places where defense lines are missing and the construction is not finished at all. “We repeated the mistake of Avdiivka, we need defensive lines outside the city”, he pointed out.
The drawn defense line did not correspond to the topography of the area. Ukrainian forces suffered losses and the enemy managed to create a bridgehead for an offensive, he also pointed out.
Since the beginning of the year, the government has allocated 38 billion hryvnias for the construction of defense lines, with special attention being paid to the Kharkiv region because of the months-expected Russian offensive there. Nevertheless, the Russians managed to capture several settlements without any problems.
DeepState analysts also report poor preparation. They report unfinished fortifications, particularly in the village of Liptsi, towards which the Russians are now advancing. Unlike the Ukrainians, the Russian occupiers quickly built fortifications, the effect of which was very clearly seen in the summer of 2023, when Ukraine launched an unsuccessful counter-offensive.
The Ukrainian military is also facing another problem - the lack of air defense protection, which would allow them to more calmly build several defensive lines and stop the Russian advance. A few days ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky once again emphasized his country's urgent need for air defense weapons.
Ukraine most urgently needs more air defense systems and Western fighter jets, Zelensky said. "Unfortunately, the free world lacks expediency on these two issues," he said, adding that thanks to its air superiority, Russia is able to destroy Ukrainian cities and defensive positions with planning bombs. According to Zelensky, the Russians are actively using destructive tactics on the front line near Kharkiv and in the eastern part of Ukraine, in the Donetsk region, in the direction of Chasov Yar and Pokrovsk.