According to Order No 90 of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR, dated 19 March 1928, a program of fortifications on the country's borders was to be carried out, and in 1928, construction began on the first thirteen fortified regions, including Kiev.

After the annexation of the Poland's eastern territories in 1939, Stalin wanted to push the Soviet defences up to the new borders, creating a series of new fortified regions.

[1] The poor state of the Kiev defences was not unknown to the Soviet leadership: a NKVD report from 1939 stated that 'Only 5 of the 257 structures in the area were prepared for combat' and went on to list a host of deficiencies ranging from uncleared forests limiting fields of fire, no communication or support equipment, and old seals which had decayed.

Also installed were metal hedgehogs and anti-personnel obstacles, among them 16 km of electrified barbed wire and a large number of minefields.

By early July, the German advance had punched a hole in the centre of the Southern Front's defences, and on 9 July, thinking that Kiev was there for the taking, General von Kleist issued orders for III Panzer Corps to capture the city and establish a deep bridgehead east of the Dnieper.