Fortifications of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Various defensive structures, such as trenches, bunkers, anti-tank barriers, and urban fortresses, were built to slow down advances and protect key areas.
To deter raids by pro-Ukrainian formations into Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod, the Russian authorities began to construct defenses along the border to stabilize this area.
[11] According to CSIS, the Surovikin defensive works are the most extensive set of fortifications created in Europe since the end of the Second World War.
The complex, multi-layered system of defensive lines hinged on the village of Robotyne and was breached after months of heavy fighting by Ukrainian forces.
[1] The defenses consist of an extensive network of trenches, artillery positions, antipersonnel and anti-vehicle mines, razor wire, earthen berms, and dragon’s teeth—to hinder the movement of main battle tanks and mechanized infantry.
Ukraine faces tough choices: attack the heavily fortified paths to Crimea, urban areas in Donetsk, or the less strategic Luhansk.
[1] Russia relies less on layered fortifications due to favorable terrain and has defenses along the Dnipro Delta and River, which require complex amphibious assaults to cross.
[14] Former Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny, responsible for the counteroffensive, highlighted the problem of minefields with high density, which slowed the advance and enabled the enemy to concentrate fire on armored vehicles.
Additionally, Ukraine's military lacked certain capabilities like a contingent of modern fighter aircraft, which made breakthroughs more difficult.
This shift resulted in more effective coordination between combat branches, but without air superiority, it remained challenging to achieve breakthroughs.
[15][14] At the end of August 2023, after long and bitter fighting, the Ukrainian Armed Forces captured the village of Robotyne,[16] which lies on the outer contour of the “Surovikin Line”.
[17][18][19] On September 21, 2023, Ukrainian armored vehicles, Stryker, Marder IFV and MaxxPro APC, crossed the Surovikin Line for the first time.
[24] The aim is to prevent Ukrainian troops from advancing towards the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine, which was annexed by Russia in September.
[27][28] In a report dated 21 November 2022, the British Ministry of Defence considered that Moscow prioritized the construction of defensive positions on the Svatove–Kreminna line.
[44] In addition to trenches, anti-tank bunds, ditches and artillery pieces were installed along the Black Sea coast — positions at Perekop Isthmus.
Initiated in 2014 amid the annexation of Crimea and conflict in Donbas, the barrier aims to enhance security, prevent smuggling, and curb illegal crossings.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) announced the arrest of several individuals involved in the building of the fortified border.
In April 2022, Dmytro Zhyvytskyi, the head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration, said that this should include fortifications along the entire border.
Four strongholds and 9 firing positions were set up at the state border in Kharkiv region, and 9 video monitoring and alarm systems were built.
[3] In September 2022, after a counteroffensive by Ukrainian troops reached the border with Russia, Vsevolod Kozhemiako, commander of the Charter volunteer unit, published a photo of the damaged structures of the project.
US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin went to Kyiv to confer with Zelensky and Russian media suggested that the Ukrainians would receive money only for defensive purposes from that time onwards.
