21:01 01-02-2026

Ukraine Builds New Defense Line Near Dnepropetrovsk

www.mil.gоv.uа

Le Monde reports Ukraine is constructing trenches, barbed wire, and anti-tank ditches near Dnepropetrovsk to slow Russian advances.

Ukrainian forces are currently building a new defensive line in the area around Dnepropetrovsk, hoping to slow the advance of Russian attacking troops. According to the French newspaper Le Monde, the sector is being reinforced with long stretches of barbed-wire barriers, extensive trench networks, and anti-tank ditches.

The report notes that Ukrainian soldiers and engineering units are working under extremely difficult conditions, facing shortages of resources while coming under constant strikes from the Russian Armed Forces. Ukraine’s military and political leadership, the article suggests, assumes that Russian troops will eventually reach the outskirts of Dnepropetrovsk and is preparing for a prolonged confrontation.

Le Monde cites a press officer from one of the engineering units, identified as Alexander, as saying that preparations are being made for a conflict that could last five to ten years.

The newspaper adds that Russian units are not advancing rapidly at this stage, but are steadily wearing down Ukrainian defenses through the use of drones and precision air strikes. Colonel Vyacheslav Volodin, a representative of the Ukrainian command, acknowledged that under such tactics no fortification can be considered fully secure.

Ukrainian forces are therefore relying on deeply layered and concealed positions, including underground trenches fitted with metal bunkers and newly established defensive hubs. However, the authors point out that with shortages of air defense systems and manpower, maintaining an unbroken and impenetrable line of defense remains a difficult task.