General Oleksandr Syrskyi told reporters the bridgehead in the border Hlushkov district was a “pre-emptive action against a possible enemy attack”. Kyiv’s general staff said the operation is preventing Moscow from shifting large units to Donetsk, where Russia’s May-June offensive has inched forward at heavy cost.
Stretching Russian lines
The frontline now spans roughly 1,200 km. While Moscow has gained ground recently, Ukrainian officials say these advances rely on small assault groups suffering high casualties. In northern and eastern sectors, they added, Ukrainian troops last week halted Russian probes toward Dnipropetrovsk region.
Russia continues daily missile-and-drone raids deep inside Ukraine. Kyiv’s air force says it downs about 82 % of incoming Shahed drones but needs more Western surface-to-air systems and is testing light aircraft and drone interceptors to bolster defenses.
Strikes on Russian industry
Kyiv is also expanding long-range attacks meant to raise the war’s economic price for Moscow.
Between January and May, Ukrainian strikes inflicted an estimated $1.3 billion in direct damage to Russian oil-refining, energy and transport assets and at least $9.5 billion in knock-on losses from shutdowns and disrupted logistics, the military said.
The figures do not include the recent “Spider’s Web” drone blitz that damaged Russian warplanes and, according to Ukraine, cost Moscow several billion dollars more.
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Source: Reuters, BBC, The Kyiv Independent