by 
Russia has escalated its military campaign in Ukraine, targeting three key fronts in a bid to gain territorial control, but Ukrainian forces are putting up strong resistance, according to a BBC report from Kyiv.
Russian forces have made their largest territorial gains this year, seizing 556 square kilometers (215 square miles) in eastern Ukraine last month, an area roughly four times the size of Liverpool, per the Ukrainian DeepState monitoring website. The Russian strategy focuses on disrupting Ukrainian supply lines in the east and establishing a buffer zone along Ukraine’s northern borders. However, progress remains slow, with analysts estimating it would take over 70 years at this pace to capture the entire country. **Three Fronts Under Attack** The Russian offensive is concentrated in three areas: 1. **Sumy Region**: Russian troops have advanced 10-12 kilometers into this northeastern border region but have been halted by fierce Ukrainian resistance. Fighting continues over small border villages, with control shifting frequently. 2. **Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka**: These eastern cities are strategic hubs where Russia has deployed approximately 111,000 troops, according to Ukraine’s army chief, General Oleksandr Syrskyi. Russian forces are using small infantry units to launch relentless “creeping offensives,” avoiding large-scale assaults to evade detection by Ukrainian drones. This tactic aims to exhaust Ukrainian resources, but it comes at a high cost, with Ukraine estimating Russian casualties at over 1,000 per day. 3. **Novopavlivske Direction**: West of Pokrovsk, Russian forces have made rapid gains, advancing up to 10 kilometers daily after Ukrainian defenses faltered. Some Russian military bloggers claimed their forces reached the Dnipropetrovsk region, though Ukrainian officials deny this, stating a small Russian group was quickly eliminated. Analysts suggest this advance may be more about propaganda than strategic value. **Tactical Challenges and Heavy Losses** Russia’s goal appears to be to stretch Ukraine’s forces thin across the 1,200-kilometer front line, forcing them to divert resources from critical areas like Pokrovsk. However, breakthroughs remain unlikely, as Russian advances are slowing, particularly between Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka. In the northern Kharkiv region, Russia claimed a border village but lacks the resources for significant further gains. Ukrainian troops face mounting pressure, with Russian drone attacks, including the long-range Gerbera drone, targeting supply lines and civilian infrastructure to undermine morale. “Routes we used two months ago are no longer safe, day or night,” said Staff Sergeant Viktor Pyasetskyi of Ukraine’s 93rd Brigade near Kostyantynivka. Supplies are now often delivered by robots to avoid drone strikes, complicating logistics and troop rotations. **Broader Context** The intensified Russian offensive coincides with increased drone and missile attacks, described as the heaviest yet by Ukrainian officials. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s forces are under strain, but recent U.S. policy shifts under President Donald Trump, who criticized Russia’s Vladimir Putin and lifted a pause on weapons shipments to Kyiv, may bolster Ukraine’s defenses. Despite Russia’s territorial gains, the combination of Ukrainian resistance, logistical challenges, and high casualties suggests Moscow’s ambitions face significant hurdles. The conflict remains a grinding war of attrition, with no immediate prospect of a decisive breakthrough.
