AILSA CHANG, HOST:
The front line in the Russia-Ukraine war stretches for more than 600 miles. But roughly speaking, it can be broken down into three separate fronts, which are all playing out a little differently. For that breakdown, we're joined now by NPR's Greg Myre in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. Hi, Greg.
GREG MYRE, BYLINE: Hi, Ailsa.
CHANG: So let's start on Ukraine's northern border. That's the newest front line - right? - which was created by Ukraine's invasion across that border and into Russia on August 6. Where does that incursion stand now?
MYRE: Yeah, Ukraine said over the weekend, it knocked out two bridges that cross a river into western Russia. And today Russian military bloggers say the third and final bridge over this river has now been severed. So this cuts off a key transportation route - or routes plural that Russia could have used to send reinforcements into the Kursk region where these Ukrainian soldiers are. Now President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine was trying to create a buffer zone to keep Russia from coming to the border or crossing the border to attack inside Ukraine. He hadn't said that publicly before, so it gives us a little more insight into what Ukraine is trying to accomplish with this bold but risky incursion now two weeks old.
CHANG: Yeah. Well, are there any signs that a Russian counterattack is imminent?
MYRE: The short answer is no. We spoke to a Ukrainian military officer today. He's been going in and out of Russia in this area. He says Ukraine is fortifying its position, and he sees no sign now of a large-scale Russian response on the horizon. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and some top security officials held televised meetings right after Ukraine's August 6 incursion. They said they were sending reinforcements, but they've gone mostly quiet. Putin, in fact, hasn't commented on the Ukraine invasion for the past week, and today he was visiting Azerbaijan.
CHANG: OK. Well, that's the north. Let's move to eastern Ukraine, where Russia is on the offensive. How much ground is Russia gaining there?
MYRE: Yeah, the Russians claim the takeover of another small town today. It's the latest in a string of these advances. They're now less than 10 miles from what would be a very significant prize. That would be the town of Pokrovsk. It's a transportation hub that Ukraine uses to send troops and supplies to the front. Ukrainian officials are urging civilians there to evacuate. And Ukraine is getting more weapons from its Western partners, but Zelenskyy says they're not coming fast enough. He said, quote, "there are no holidays in war. We need timely logistics. I'm especially appealing now to the United States, Great Britain and France."
CHANG: Well, meanwhile, what's happening to the south and the Black Sea? I feel like we're hearing a lot less from that region these days, but there are important developments over there, right?
MYRE: Oh, absolutely. Russia destroyed Ukraine's navy and was preventing the export of Ukrainian grain to world markets. But almost exactly a year ago, Ukraine managed to reestablish a Black Sea shipping channel for its agricultural products, and it's now back to almost prewar levels. Ukraine has knocked out about 25 Russian ships and submarines forcing many more to retreat. I spoke about this with retired U.S. Admiral James Foggo, who worked with the Ukrainians a decade ago.
JAMES FOGGO: The Ukrainians, without a floating navy, have been able to destroy about one-third of the Black Sea fleet. That's absolutely amazing.
CHANG: Wait, how are they doing that without a navy?
MYRE: Well, one new threat this past year has been Ukraine's sea drones. They build these small vessels with no crew and send them remotely to attack Russian ships. Again, here's Admiral Foggo.
FOGGO: They're jet skis with explosives packed on them, and they have some kind of remote control from some kind of a command center. I don't know where, and I don't know what kind of, you know, radio control they have on these things. But they're pretty darn good.
MYRE: We've heard a lot about Ukraine's drones in the skies, but their drones in the sea are also proving quite lethal.
CHANG: That is NPR's Greg Myre in Kyiv. Thank you so much, Greg.
MYRE: Sure thing, Ailsa.
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