Russia ramps up offensives on 2 fronts in Ukraine as both sides seek advantage before fall
Moscow aims to maximize its territorial gains before seriously considering a full ceasefire, analysts and military commanders said. Ukraine wants to slow the Russian advance for as long as possible and extract heavy losses.
Kremlin forces are steadily gaining ground in the strategic eastern logistics hub of Pokrovsk, the capture of which would hand them a major battlefield victory and bring them closer to acquiring the entire Donetsk region. The fighting there has also brought combat to the border of the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region for the first time.
6 Firefighters work at the site of a building heavily damaged by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, in this handout picture released July 2, 2025.
via REUTERS
In an effort to prevent Moscow from bolstering those positions in the east, Ukrainian forces are trying to pin down some of Russia's best and most battle-hardened troops hundreds of kilometers away, in the northeast Sumy region.
'The best-case scenario for Ukraine,' said Russian-British military historian Sergey Radchenko, 'is that they're able to stall or stop the Russian advance' in the Ukrainian industrial heartland known as Donbas, which includes the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Then Ukraine could 'use that as the basis for a ceasefire agreement.'
'There's a better chance for Russia to come to some kind of terms with Ukraine' in the fall when the Russians 'see the extent of their offensive,' Radchenko added.
While the battles rage, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is waiting to learn whether the Trump administration will support tougher sanctions against Russia and back a European idea to establish a 'reassurance force' to deter Moscow.
One setback came with the US decision to halt some weapons shipments out of concern over the US's own depleted stockpiles.
6 Servicemen from the mobile air defence unit of the 115th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces fire a ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft cannon towards a Russian drone during an overnight shift, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv Region, Ukraine, on June 2, 2025.
REUTERS
Ukraine faces relentless assaults in Sumy
In the Sumy region, Ukrainian forces face a constant barrage of aerial glide bombs, drones and relentless assaults by small groups of Russian infantrymen. They endure the attacks to prevent Russian forces from being moved to other battlegrounds in the eastern Donetsk region.
Ukrainian forces intensified their own attacks in Sumy in April and even conducted a small offensive into Russia's neighboring Kursk region to prevent up to 60,000 battle-hardened Russian forces from being moved to reinforce positions in the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, Ukraine's top army commander, Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, said last week.
If those troops had been moved, they could have increased the tempo of Russian attacks across the front line and stretched Ukrainian forces thin.
The strategy did not come without criticism. Commanders who were ordered to execute it complained that it resulted in unnecessary loss of life.
Russian forces have penetrated up to 7 kilometers into the northern Sumy region from different directions along the border.
Ukrainian forces are determined to keep them there to avoid freeing up Russian forces to fight in the east. So far they have succeeded, locking up to 10,000 Russian troops in the Glushkovsky district of the Kursk region alone, where Ukraine maintains a small presence after being mostly forced out by Russian and North Korean troops earlier in the year.
Russia seeks maximum gains in Donetsk
The war's largest battle is being waged in Donetsk as Russia inches toward its stated goal of capturing all of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Unable to tackle the strategically significant logistical hub of Pokrovsk directly, Russian forces are attempting to encircle the city, a maneuver that requires encroaching on the borders of the Dnipropetrovsk region.
6 Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks with acting governor of Tambov region Evgeny Pervyshov during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, July 1, 2025.
AP
Bringing the war to a sixth Ukrainian region would be detrimental for Ukrainian morale and give Russia more leverage in negotiations if its forces manage to carve out a foothold there.
Sabotage groups have crossed the border, only to be eliminated by Ukrainian forces.
But in time, commanders fear that Russia will advance as Ukraine continues to grapple with severe shortages.
Lack of soldiers and supplies across the 745-mile front line mean that Ukrainian forces must concentrate on holding their positions and conserving resources rather than advancing, said Oleksii Makhrinskyi, deputy commander of the Da Vinci Wolves battalion.
Commanders describe battles so intense under drone-saturated skies that rotating forces in and out of position has become a deadly operation. Ukrainian forces remain in combat positions for several weeks at a time or more, relying on supplies carried in by drones.
6 Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (C) awarding a Ukrainian serviceman during the Constitution Day of Ukraine, in Kyiv, on June 28, 2025.
Ukrainian Presidential Press-Service/AFP via Getty Images
The Russians' goal 'is just to enter Dnipropetrovsk region, to have a good position politically if the presidents negotiate peace,' said Andrii Nazerenko, a commander of the 72nd Brigade, a drone unit in eastern Ukraine, referring to potential talks between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
'They're really close to getting what they want,' he said.
All eyes on Trump's next move
Zelensky hopes US President Donald Trump will move away from his administration's past ambivalence toward Ukraine and signal his intention to continue American support, a move that could also alter Moscow's calculations.
The two presidents met last week on the sidelines of a NATO summit and discussed a possible weapons package, including Patriot missile systems that Ukraine intends to purchase with European support.
6 Servicemen from the mobile air defence unit of the 115th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces prepare a ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft cannon during an overnight shift on June 1, 2025.
REUTERS
The US Defense Department did not specify which weapons were being held back, when they disclosed the Pentagon review of US weapons stockpiles Tuesday.
Zelensky also hopes Trump will punish Russia by imposing harsher sanctions on its energy and banking sectors, which bankroll the Kremlin's war effort.
Europe and the US have imposed successive sanctions on Russia since the full-scale invasion in 2022, but Zelensky says those measures have not been enough to pierce Moscow's war machine. He has proposed a $30 per barrel price cap on Russian oil.
6 Firefighters work at the site of a building heavily damaged by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, in this handout picture released July 2, 2025.
via REUTERS
EU sanctions envoy David O'Sullivan said Europe needs to maintain the sanctions pressure while also 'holding out the prospect that if Russia behaves correctly, we could have some kind of ceasefire and some kind of sense of negotiation, but for the moment Russia doesn't seem to want that.'
Kyiv's closest European allies are also awaiting a sign from Trump that he will support a plan to deploy foreign troops in Ukraine to guard against future Russian aggression after a ceasefire agreement. That is likely the best security guarantee Ukraine can hope for in lieu of NATO membership.
Meanwhile on the battlefield, Russian forces appear increasingly confident.
Nazerenko noticed a shift in the morale of advancing Russian infantrymen in recent months. Instead of running away while being assailed by Ukrainian drones, they keep pushing forward.
Nazerenko could not help but ask a Russian prisoner, 'You know you will die. Why go?'
Because, the Russian soldier replied, 'we will win.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
Putin and Trump discuss Iran and Ukraine in phone call, Kremlin official says
MOSCOW — President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed Iran, Ukraine and other issues by phone on Thursday, the Kremlin said, in their sixth publicly disclosed chat since Trump returned to the White House. While discussing the situation around Iran, Putin emphasized the need to resolve all issues by political and diplomatic means, said Yuri Ushakov, his foreign affairs advisor. The United States struck three sites in Iran on June 22, inserting itself into Israel's war aimed at destroying Tehran's nuclear program. On the conflict in Ukraine, Ushakov said Trump emphasized his push for a quick halt to the fighting, and Putin voiced Moscow's readiness to pursue talks with Kyiv. At the same time, the Russian leader emphasized that Moscow will seek to achieve its goals in Ukraine and remove the 'root causes' of the conflict, Ushakov said. Putin has argued he sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022 to fend off a threat to Russia posed by Ukraine's push to join NATO and protect Russian speakers in Ukraine — arguments rejected by Kyiv and its allies. He insisted that any prospective peace deal must see Ukraine abandon its NATO bid and recognize Russia's territorial gains. Thursday's call follows the Pentagon's confirmation that it's pausing shipment of some weapons to Ukraine as it reviews U.S. military stockpiles. The weapons being held up for Ukraine include air defense missiles, precision-guided artillery and other equipment. The details on the weapons in some of the paused deliveries were confirmed by a U.S. official and former national security official familiar with the matter. They both requested anonymity to discuss what is being held up as the Pentagon has yet to provide details. Ushakov said a suspension of some U.S. weapons shipments to Ukraine wasn't discussed in the Trump-Putin call. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in Denmark after meeting with major European Union backers that he may talk to Trump in the coming days about the suspension of U.S. weapons deliveries. 'I hope that maybe tomorrow, or close days, these days, I will speak about it with President Trump,' he said. Asked about his expectations from the Trump-Putin call, he said that 'I'm not sure that they have a lot of common ideas, common topics to talk [about], because they are very different people.' The previous publicly known call between Trump and Putin came June 14, a day after Israel attacked Iran. The resumed contacts between Trump and Putin appeared to reflect both leaders' interest in mending U.S.-Russian ties that have plummeted to their lowest point since the Cold War amid the conflict in Ukraine. On Tuesday, Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron held their first direct telephone call in almost three years. Isachenkov writes for the Associated Press. AP writers Aamer Madhani in Washington and Lorne Cook in Aarhus, Denmark, contributed to this report.
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Putin and Trump discuss Iran and Ukraine in phone call, Kremlin official says
MOSCOW (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed Iran, Ukraine and other issues on Thursday in a 'frank and constructive' phone call, the Kremlin said, in their sixth publicly disclosed chat since Trump returned to the White House. While discussing the situation around Iran and in the broader Middle East, Putin emphasized the need to resolve all differences 'exclusively by political and diplomatic means,' said Yuri Ushakov, his foreign affairs adviser. The leaders agreed that Russian and U.S. officials will maintain contacts on the issue, he added. The United States struck three sites in Iran on June 22, inserting itself into Israel's war aimed at destroying Tehran's nuclear program. On the conflict in Ukraine, Ushakov said Trump emphasized his push for a quick halt to the fighting, and Putin voiced Moscow's readiness to pursue talks with Kyiv, noting the previous rounds in Turkey yielded humanitarian results. At the same time, the Russian leader emphasized that Moscow will seek to achieve its goals in Ukraine and remove the 'root causes' of the conflict, Ushakov said. 'Russia will not back down from these goals,' Ushakov told reporters after the call. Putin has argued he sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022 to fend off a threat to Russia posed by Ukraine's push to join NATO and protect Russian speakers in Ukraine — arguments rejected by Kyiv and its allies. He insisted that any prospective peace deal must see Ukraine abandon its NATO bid and recognize Russia's territorial gains. Thursday's call follows the Pentagon's confirmation that it's pausing shipment of some weapons to Ukraine as it reviews U.S. military stockpiles. The weapons being held up for Ukraine include air defense missiles, precision-guided artillery and other equipment. The details on the weapons in some of the paused deliveries were confirmed by a U.S. official and former national security official familiar with the matter. They both requested anonymity to discuss what is being held up as the Pentagon has yet to provide details. Ushakov said a suspension of some U.S. weapons shipments to Ukraine wasn't discussed in the Trump-Putin call. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in Denmark after meeting with major European Union backers that he may talk to Trump in the coming days about the suspension of U.S. weapons deliveries. 'I hope that maybe tomorrow, or close days, these days, I will speak about it with President Trump,' he said. Asked about his expectations from the Trump-Putin call, he said that 'I'm not sure that they have a lot of common ideas, common topics to talk (about), because they are very different people.' The previous publicly known call between Trump and Putin came June 14, a day after Israel attacked Iran. The resumed contacts between Trump and Putin appeared to reflect both leaders' interest in mending U.S.-Russian ties that have plummeted to their lowest point since the Cold War amid the conflict in Ukraine. Ushakov said Trump told Putin about his $4.5 trillion tax breaks and spending cuts bill, and the Russian leader wished him success in pursuing his plans and also congratulated the U.S. on the Independence Day holiday. The Kremlin adviser noted the leaders also discussed developments in Syria and expressed interest in pursuing bilateral projects in the energy sector and space exploration, during what he described as 'frank, businesslike and concrete conversation.' Ushakov added that Putin even suggested that the U.S. and Russia could exchange movies promoting 'traditional values shared by us and the Trump administration.' On Tuesday, Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron held their first direct telephone call in almost three years. —- Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani in Washington and Lorne Cook in Aarhus, Denmark, contributed.
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
UK launches bid to build spaceship to clean up space junk
By Elizabeth Hunter The UK has launched a £75.6 million bid to build a spaceship to clear space debris, including satellites. Officials say the major new procurement process will tackle the growing threat of defunct man-made items from orbit. The UK Space Agency is initiating a £75.6 million tender for the nation's first mission to actively remove defunct satellites from space. They say it marks a pivotal step in the UK's efforts to protect vital space infrastructure and ensure the long-term safety of the orbital environment. At the heart of the proposed Active Debris Removal (ADR) mission, a specially designed spacecraft, equipped with cutting-edge British robotic and autonomous navigation technology, will capture and safely de-orbit two non-functioning UK-licensed satellites from low Earth orbit. The spacecraft will guide the defunct satellites into Earth's atmosphere, where they will burn up-eliminating potential threats to the satellite networks that power essential services such as GPS, weather forecasting, and emergency communications. There are an estimated 140 million pieces of space debris smaller than 1cm, and over 54,000 tracked objects larger than 10cm currently orbiting Earth. Even tiny fragments can cause catastrophic damage to satellites. This mission is a critical step in addressing the threat of space debris, ensuring the long-term sustainability of space operations and protecting the infrastructure that underpins modern life. Minister for Space, Sir Chris Bryant, said: "This mission is a direct example of our Plan for Change in action, delivering innovation, sustainability and economic opportunity through bold investment in future technologies. "By tackling the growing threat of space debris head-on, we are protecting the infrastructure that supports everything from national security to everyday connectivity whilst also creating high-skilled jobs and securing the UK's leadership in the growing space economy." The tender process secures home-grown expertise and strengthens the UK's leadership in the rapidly advancing field of In-orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM). It supports the ambitions of the Modern Industrial Strategy 2025, a 10-year plan to grow future industries, attract private investment, and establish the UK as a global innovation leader. Through this tender, the UK Space Agency is targeting funding on one of the five priority capabilities highlighted for investment in the space chapter of the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan. This also represents a shift in the UK Space Agency's approach, from traditional grants to competitive contracts, designed to stimulate private investment and create high-skilled jobs across the country. Dr. Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency, said: "Actively clearing space debris is a bold step toward a safer, more sustainable orbital environment." "This mission showcases the UK's technical excellence and our commitment to protecting the space systems that modern life depends on. ''It's about securing the future of space for everyone, delivering tangible benefits here on Earth, and positioning the UK at the forefront of the in-orbit services market." The UK Space Agency is now seeking a single supplier to deliver the five-year research and development contract, with the mission targeted for launch by the end of 2028. This follows £11 million already invested since 2021 in feasibility studies and design work, underscoring the government's long-term commitment to becoming a clean space superpower. Joanne Wheeler, Director of the Earth & Space Sustainability Initiative, said: "ESSI is very encouraged by this announcement. ''For the past three years, we have been developing sets of Space Sustainability Principles that will facilitate the establishment of the Space Sustainability Standards to ultimately ensure the sustainable use of outer space, covering the lifecycle of a satellite – from launch to decommissioning. ''The proposed ADR mission is a significant step in the right direction to achieving such sustainability and governance of ISAM activities, which the UK can lead on." UK businesses, researchers, and satellite users stand to benefit from this ambitious initiative, which will strengthen international partnerships, drive economic growth, and help establish global standards for sustainable space operations. Colin Baldwin, Executive Director at UKspace, said, "Debris is one of the key factors in planning the future of low Earth orbit. The UK leads in the development of solutions to address this critical market enabler. ''A number of our members are engaged in this exciting new market, which is developing rapidly. ''We welcome the UK Space Agency's ongoing commitment to growing the UK's capabilities through the launch of this new procurement." Jennifer Jordan-Saifi, CEO of the Sustainable Markets Initiative, says: "Sustainability is no longer solely an Earth-bound mission. ''The space economy is growing at pace and at scale, therefore as we build the foundations to become multiplanetary, it's critical we carry lessons of stewardship to the stars. ''We applaud the UK Space Agency's leadership in addressing the issue of space debris." The post UK launches bid to build spaceship to clean up space junk appeared first on Talker. Copyright Talker News. All Rights Reserved.
