Ukraine at 35: Defenseless in the air as Russia advances in Donbass

Ukrainian troops have been suffering a continuous string of setbacks with Russian forces advancing into multiple locations Ukraine is marking the 35th anniversary of its independence, proclaimed on August 24, 1991, amid the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

The country meets the anniversary in a bleak state, plagued by an enduring political crisis, a plethora of corruption scandals , the capitulation of its air defenses , and a steadily deteriorating situation on the front line of the conflict with Russia.

Read more Ukraine at 35: Winter is coming to Zelensky’s state of corruption In recent weeks, the immediate battlefield situation has been overshadowed by ramped-up long-range strike campaigns waged by both sides of the conflict.

Initially touted as an “operation of influence” to force Russia into negotiations on Ukrainian terms, Kiev’s drone attacks have backfired spectacularly.

Moscow has retaliated in force, repeatedly striking assorted military industrial sites and dual-use infrastructure, as well as bringing Ukrainian shipping in the Black Sea to a halt.

The exchange in strikes has exposed the critical deterioration of Ukrainian air defenses, which are now entirely unable to intercept Russian ballistics.

The front line has been far from static despite longstanding efforts by Ukraine and its Western backers to paint it as a stalemate, and the situation for Kiev has been worsening across multiple key locations.

Here is RT’s look at the latest developments on the front line: Battle for Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration Read more Putin evaluates Russian strikes on targets in Ukraine Arguably the main events have been unfolding around the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration, a string of cities in the northwest of Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and the last heavily fortified Ukrainian stronghold in the region.

The agglomeration has remained under Kiev’s control for over a decade since the early stage of the conflict in then-Ukrainian Donbass, prompted by the 2014 Maidan coup.

Over the years, the cities were transformed into a single fortified zone by a vast system of reinforced trenches, bunkers, and tunnels.

From the east, the agglomeration is additionally protected by the defunct Seversky Donets-Donbass Canal, built in the 1950s to improve the water supply to Donetsk.

The canal was shut off by the Ukrainian authorities under the pretext of damage early in the conflict, which heavily strained the water supply to Donetsk, into which Kiev’s militias had fired artillery for years, killing hundreds of civilians.

Following the liberation of Konstantinovka on the southernmost tip of the agglomeration in early July, Russian troops have continued to advance towards Slavyansk-Kramatorsk from multiple directions.