Putin Says Border Security Zone With Ukraine ‘Significantly Expanded,’ Invokes Historical Claim on Land

Russia claims key Ukrainian city Kostyantynivka has been captured

Russia's troops have expanded their military offensive in eastern Ukraine. They say they have taken control of Kostyantynivka in the Donetsk region. Russia's President, Vladimir Putin, says the city has strategic significance in expanding the nation's security zone. Ukraine's general staff insists the city remains under the control of Ukrainian forces.

Russian Defense Ministry: Control of Ukrainskoye expands security zone on Volchansk Axis

Russian Defense Ministry: Control of Ukrainskoye expands security zone on Volchansk Axis

Medvedev Outlines Plans to Expand Russian ‘Security Zone’ into 3 Ukrainian Regions

Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, announced plans to expand a so-called “security zone” deep into Ukrainian territory, encompassing the Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv regions. The statement, circulated by Russian state media, builds upon recent declarations by Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the continuation of mass strikes and the creation of buffer zones.

Ukraine's drone campaign turning Russia's oil system into new frontline

The escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has taken a highly destructive turn along the frontlines and border zones, shifting the focus of tactical strikes heavily onto retail energy networks. In recent months, Russian forces have initiated a systematic campaign targeting civilian petrol stations within a 30 to 50-kilometer radius of the Ukrainian border. Utilizing a combination of kamikaze drones, heavy artillery, and precision guided missiles, these strikes have left hundreds of local distribution points in ruins across regions like Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv.

The current situation along the line of contact, as described by the President of RussiaLet us [...]

The current situation along the line of contact, as described by the President of RussiaLet us start in the north, meaning the North group of forces. You will recall that the goal for the Russian troops in the Sumy and Volchansk sectors is creating a security zone along our borders. This goal was set after the Armed Forces of Ukraine invaded the Kursk Region and due to the attacks on our border regions that persist to this day. The Ukraine regime will pay for its crimes in the Kursk Region by losing the territory that we need to secure our borders. By the way, the city of Sumy, which is a small regional centre with just over 30 thousand buildings in total, is just 10.5 kilometres away from our current positions.

Russia says it has taken five villages in Ukraine

Russia's defence ministry claims to have captured five villages in Ukraine's eastern regions, including four in Kharkiv and one in Donetsk. However, Ukraine's President Zelensky vehemently denies Russia's assertion of taking the strategically vital city of Kostiantynivka, calling it another fabrication. This city is crucial for Ukraine's defence line in the industrial Donetsk region, and its capture would significantly aid Russia's northern advance.

Ukraine refutes Putin's claim that Russians are "10 km" from Sumy

Andrii Kovalenko, Head of Ukraine's Centre for Countering Disinformation, has refuted Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin's claim that Russian forces are allegedly 10 km from the city of Sumy.

Ukraine's missiles now have almost half of Russia in reach

Ukraine has expanded the range and intensity of its missile strikes inside Russia, triggering alerts across nearly half of the regions in the world’s largest country so far this year. Missile threats were declared in at least five regions of ...

Russia says Kostiantynivka has fallen. Kyiv claims it still holds the city. Both are wrong.

In recent days, alongside reports of drone and missile strikes on cities, factories, and gas stations, the state of the front lines has suddenly become a major topic of discussion — apparently because Donald Trump has returned as a mediator in the negotiations. Vladimir Putin told him about the fighting in the ruins of Kostiantynivka, in Ukraine’s Donetsk region — a key city the Russian president claims his army now holds. Ukraine’s General Staff responded that Kostiantynivka remains under the control of Ukraine’s Armed Forces. To back up their claims, both sides released videos of their troops inside the city, some recorded by opposing troops on nearby streets. In reality, neither Moscow nor Kyiv is right: Russian forces haven’t captured Kostiantynivka outright, but Ukraine doesn’t control the city either, though its troops still hold positions there, including in the city center. And while the Kremlin jumped the gun with its announcement, the situation in Kostiantynivka and elsewhere in the Donbas continues to deteriorate slowly for Ukraine’s military.

🇷🇺🇺🇦⚡️ — There are still 10.5 km left to Sumy from the Russian Federation's border - Put [...]

— There are still 10.5 km left to Sumy from the Russian Federation's border - Putin@Intelslava

Ukraine Denies Russian Capture of Key Eastern City Kostiantynivka

Russia's military told Putin that its forces had taken control of the city, a strategic target that Moscow has long sought in its advance through the Donetsk region.

Russia claims it captured the strategic key Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka

Russian forces have claimed capture of Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region after roughly a nine-month battle. The city sits within Ukraine's "fortress belt," a defensive network of cities forming Donbas's main defensive line. Ukrainian officials denied the city fell. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X : https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.news/AJEMobile

Russia’s buffer zone on Ukrainian border evolves as military advances — Kremlin

A security buffer zone on the Russian-Ukrainian border is conditioned by the aggressive nature of the Kiev regime, Russian PresidentialSpokesman Dmitry Peskov said

Ukraine hits the factory inside Russia’s missile supply chain

Ukraine appears to have struck one of the more obscure but consequential nodes in Russia’s weapons manufacturing chain, hitting the Sborka plant in Voronezh, a facility that Ukrainian military intelligence identifies as a supplier of specialized semiconductor components to three of Russia’s most operationally significant weapons programs: the Kh-101 cruise missile, the Iskander-K ballistic missile []

Zelensky denies Russia captured key Ukraine city, challenges Putin to meet him there

Ukraine still controls the strategically important eastern city of Kostiantynivka, President Volodymyr Zelensky and the General Staff said on Saturday, rejecting Russian claims that it has been captured. Russia’s military ignored Zelensky’s assertions, said it was mopping up remaining pockets of resistance and offered to exchange the remains of dead servicemen. Russian military commanders told President ‌Vladimir Putin on Friday that Moscow’s forces had taken control of Kostiantynivka, a target...

Vladimir Putin Shrugs Off Fuel Shortages in Russia As President Ramps Up Attacks on Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the attacks on Russian energy as an effort by Ukraine to distract attention from its losses on the battlefield, although analysts say the advance of Russian forces has been stymied in recent months.

Saving the Kiev Regime Is Not Part of Our Plans — Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected Ukraine's proposal to limit military operations to four regions, calling it a tactical move designed to redeploy troops amid a catastrophic personnel shortage, while also emphasizing that Russia's energy infrastructure is holding up well against Ukrainian strikes.

Zelenskyy Denies Putin Claim of Securing Donetsk Stronghold

Ukraine pushed back on a claim by Russian President Vladimir Putin that Kremlin forces have taken control of Kostiantynivka, a strategic logistics center in the Donetsk region, saying the heavily bombarded city remains under Ukrainian command.

Fortifications raised; General mobilization underway; An all-out war with Russia about to begin? PHOTO/VIDEO

As U.S. President Donald Trump questions existing security guarantees and seeks to reduce U.S. military presence in Europe, countries bordering Russia are building fortifications, increasing the number of reservists, purchasing tanks and drones, Politico says.

Putin humiliated as oil refinery deep inside Russia burns - 1,500 miles from Ukraine

The oil refinery attack marks one of the deepest attacks on Russian territory by Ukraine since the war began.

Russia’s gasoline output falls to 65 per cent after Ukrainian strikes: Sources

Ukraine has intensified its attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure, including large oil refineries, to try to undermine Moscow’s war efforts.

Russia Targets Ukraine’s Fortress Belt in Major Offensive

Russia is slowly advancing into Kostiantynivka, a strategic city in Ukraine, while its progress along the broader 1,200-km front has mostly stalled. Fighting has started in the city, with Russian soldiers trying to infiltrate its outskirts, indicating that close-quarters combat may soon occur. Kostiantynivka is vital as it forms part of Ukraine’s defensive line in [] The post Russia Targets Ukraine’s Fortress Belt in Major Offensive appeared first on Modern Diplomacy.

Ukraine Escalates Attacks on Crimea, Tightening Pressure on Russia’s Annexed Peninsula

Ukraine Escalates Attacks on Crimea, Tightening Pressure on Russia’s Annexed Peninsula

Russia, Ukraine exchange deep strikes as U.S. senators push new sanctions on Moscow

Capitals, July 11 (SANA) Russia and Ukraine exchanged long-range strikes over the past 24 hours, with Russian attacks killing four people and wounding others in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, while Ukrainian forces targeted oil infrastructure deep inside Russia, according to Ukrainian officials. Ukrainian officials said Kyiv came under a ballistic missile attack early []

The war Putin promised would never reach Russia has reached Siberia

In February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Russians that invading Ukraine was an act of self-defense. If NATO were left unchecked, he warned, Western missiles would soon be able to reach deep into Russia — past Volgograd, Kazan, Samara, even beyond the Ural Mountains. To prevent that nightmare, he launched what the Kremlin euphemistically []

Analysis-Russia pounds on the gates of Ukraine’s ’fortress belt’

Analysis-Russia pounds on the gates of Ukraine’s ’fortress belt’

Kostiantynivka: Why Russia is so desperate to take Ukraine’s eastern ‘fortress belt’

Kostiantynivka is the southernmost of four key settlements forming a defensive line central to Ukraine's effort to hold the Donetsk region

Russian forces threaten linchpin of Ukraine's 'fortress belt'

Russia is grinding its way into Kostiantynivka, a key stronghold in Ukraine's eastern "fortress belt" long coveted by the Kremlin, even as its gains across the rest of the 1,200-km front line have largely stalled. #ukraine #russia #war #fortress #kostiantynivka

Syrskyi Says Russia Seeks Buffer Zone in Northern Ukraine

The Russian Armed Forces are seeking to establish a buffer zone in Ukraine's northern regions, according to Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, who made the statement on his Telegram channel. Syrskyi said the Russian army intends to take control of the Donbas. According to him, Russia's plans also include expanded offensive operations in the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, as well as enlarging the buffer zone in northern Ukraine. He also noted an increase in the intensity of Russian missile, drone, and guided aerial bomb strikes.

Day 1,592 of WW3: Putin announces plans to continue strikes on Ukraine and expand a "security zone" in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions. What's another million casualties to him? This is your Saturday Ukraine conversation [News]

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Suspected ammo site causes devastation in Ukrainian city (VIDEO)

A video purportedly filmed in Vishnyovoe, Ukraine shows a devastated residential area after a Russian strike on an embedded military site Read Full Article at RT.com

Putin keen to offset bad news on Crimea by capture of Kostyantynivka, as Russians advance by crawling between houses (Ukraine Battlefield update, Day 1,582)

Putin is betting on seizing Kostyantynivka to shift attention from Crimea. Intensified Ukrainian strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure threaten to sap his capacity to sustain a long, attritional push in Donbas.