Ukraine builds barricades, digs trenches as focus shifts to defence

Ukrainian military engineer with the call sign "Lynx" inspects a freshly dug trench that his unit built as part of a system of new fortifications near the front lines outside Kupiansk, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, December 28, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/file photo

NEAR KUPIANSK, Ukraine (Reuters) -Rows of white concrete barricades and coils of razor wire stretch across an open field for more than a kilometre. Trenches with rudimentary living quarters are being dug under cover of darkness. Artillery rumbles not far away.

New defensive lines visited by Reuters near the northeastern city of Kupiansk on Dec. 28 show how Ukraine has stepped up construction of fortifications in recent months as it shifts its military operations against Russia to a more defensive footing.