Russian forces have dug a colossal 45-kilometer trench in the Ukrainian-occupied Zaporizhia region, apparently in an effort to thwart Kiev’s impending counter-offensive, latest satellite images have revealed.
Latest images taken by the Sentinel-2 satellite show an enormous trench being built in the southeastern region as Vladimir Putin’s troops stepped up their attacks on frontline cities in the east on Monday.
The Ukrainian Center for Journalistic Investigations has been discovered photos of a synthetic gorge that stretches for greater than 45 miles from the outskirts of the village of Semenivka to the sector behind the village of Marynivka.
In keeping with CJI estimates, Russia began digging the mega-trench in September 2022, working from each directions concurrently. Construction was accomplished in mid-October.
The line of defense is nearly a 3rd of the length of the Zaporizhia Oblast, which Putin illegally annexed last fall.
The Center for Journalistic Investigations reported that, in anticipation of Kiev’s spring counter-offensive, Putin’s soldiers — together with employees from Central Asia — spent the winter months digging ditches, constructing dugouts and installing concrete anti-tank bollards.
![A huge ditch dug by the Russians is visible in the Zaporizhia Annex in Ukraine.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/NYPICHPDPICT000009448054.jpg?w=857)
![Map of Russia](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/NYPICHPDPICT000009448030.jpg?w=1024)
Natalya Gumenyuk, a spokeswoman for the defense forces of southern Ukraine, trolled the enemy, saying that the large ditch would stand out as their only achievement in the war.
“Well, no less than they’ll be victorious at something.” They’ll haven’t any other victories. Allow them to be record holders from the trenches,” she sarcastically remarked during a recent TV interview.
Meanwhile, in eastern Ukraine, which witnessed the bloodiest battles of the war, Russian forces bombarded Ukrainian positions across the besieged city of Bakhmut and the encircling area with airstrikes and artillery fire.
![The Ukrainian Center for Journalistic Investigations obtained photos from](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/NYPICHPDPICT000009448031.jpg?w=1024)
![The Russians reportedly started digging the trench in September 2022 and finished work on it by mid-October.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/NYPICHPDPICT000009448036.jpg?w=1024)
“The enemy has switched from Syria to so-called scorched earth tactics. That is the destruction of buildings and positions with air strikes and artillery fire,” said Colonel General Oleksandr Syrski, commander of the Ukrainian ground forces, about Bakhmut.
The leader of the Moscow-controlled a part of Donetsk Oblast, Denis Pushilin, claimed that Russian troops now occupy 75% of the destroyed city they’ve been fighting for months, at the price of deaths on each side.
Syrskyi said Moscow was sending special forces and airborne units to encircle Bakhmut, where the fighting was in comparison with a “meat grinder”.
In keeping with Ukraine’s general staff, the Russians made unsuccessful attacks on areas west of Bakhmut, and no less than 10 towns and villages got here under fire.
While Ukraine has said it desires to inflict as many casualties as possible on Russian forces before a counter-offensive, President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted last week that if troops risk being encircled, they could possibly be withdrawn.
![Russian soldiers are depicted digging earthworks by hand with shovels. in Ukraine.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/NYPICHPDPICT000009448055.jpg?w=1024)
![Ukrainian soldiers walk along the trenches near the town of Bakhmut, Donetsk region, April 8, 2023.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/NYPICHPDPICT000009448046.jpg?w=1024)
Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov confirmed that enemy forces controlled the middle of Bakhmut and most of their attacks are now focused on the railway station.
“Heavy fighting is going down in the middle of the town, and the enemy is steadily moving towards the western outskirts,” Zhdanov said.
Moscow’s military also targeted the town of Avdiivka, where an airstrike destroyed an apartment constructing on Monday.
“The Russians turned Avdievka into complete damage,” said Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of the Donetsk region. “In total, about 1,800 people remain in Avdiivka, all of whom risk their lives daily.”
The Russian Defense Ministry boasted on Monday that its forces had destroyed a 70,000-ton fuel depot near Zaporizhia, in addition to Ukrainian army depots crammed with rockets and ammunition.
Kiev has been stockpiling weapons supplied by its Western allies for months, preparing for a counter-offensive to drive the invaders out of Ukraine after greater than 13 months of fighting.
![Russian President Vladimir Putin attends talks on the union of Russia and Belarus in the Kremlin in Moscow, April 6, 2023.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/NYPICHPDPICT000009448045.jpg?w=1024)
![A villager seen near a crashed car during heavy fighting on the front lines of Bakhmut and Khasiv Yar, in Chasiv Yar, Ukraine, April 9, 2023.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/NYPICHPDPICT000009406304.jpg?w=1024)
![Remaining facade wall of a destroyed apartment building in the city of Avdiivka, Donetsk region, April 4, 2023.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/NYPICHPDPICT000009214714.jpg?w=1024)
But in line with CNN reportageUkraine was forced to change some military plans on account of the leak of dozens of top-secret Pentagon documents containing details about Ukraine’s weapons and air defense weaknesses, in addition to data on battlefield casualties and details about Kiev’s allies.
An adviser to the Ukrainian president, Mykhailo Podoliak, downplayed the report, saying that Kiev’s strategic plans remained unchanged, but specific tactics were all the time subject to revision.
The files, some marked “Secret” and “Top Secret”, first began appearing on social media in March. The Department of Justice has now launched an investigation into the leaks, which the Pentagon reportedly didn’t find out about until last week.
Some national security experts and US officials say they think the leak could also be American, but they don’t rule out that pro-Russian actors could also be attempting to drive a wedge between Ukraine and its Western allies at this important time.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the leak, but added: “In reality, there’s an inclination to dump every thing on Russia. Overall, it is a disease.”
With postal wires