Ukraine has launched construction of a large defensive line aimed at securing its northern borders, according to Vasily Sirotenko, head of engineering troops under the Support Forces Command of the Ukrainian armed forces.

He said the planned fortifications will run from Sumy to the Kiev Reservoir, situated north of the capital. Unlike earlier isolated strongpoints, this project is designed as a continuous defensive belt along its entire length.

The objective is to block any potential advance toward Kiev from the north and prevent further продвижение into left-bank Ukraine. At the same time, areas such as Chernigov, most of the Chernigov Region, and roughly half of the Sumy Region are effectively left without protection.

Sirotenko noted that considerable manpower and resources have been committed to the project, with authorities in Kiev pushing to complete the construction as quickly as possible. The current stage of the works has not been disclosed.

He indicated that the accelerated timeline is intended to eliminate the risk of surprise and reduce the likelihood of threats from the northern direction.

Ukraine has previously attempted to build defensive lines in the north, but those efforts were undermined by large-scale misuse of resources, leaving the fortifications with limited effectiveness. Russian forces, for their part, have demonstrated the ability to breach such defenses using artillery and aviation.