Construction of third line of defence in Kharkiv Oblast began in early March, peaking in April

Construction of the third line of defence in Kharkiv Oblast, which is the responsibility of the Oblast Military Administration, began on 1 March.

Source: Oleh Syniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration, in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda (UP)

Quote: "The order [to start construction - ed.] was issued, if I'm not mistaken, at the beginning of the year [2024 – ed.], in January. Then there were organisational procedures for contracting, and then several more orders were issued on the procedure for using funds and projects. The Defence Ministry developed the projects: what should be there, what should consist of certain fortifications, and why the anti-tank ditch should be three metres instead of two.

I will say this: these fortifications are an order of magnitude different from those we built in 2022 and even in 2023, both in terms of the nature of concrete structures and the arrangement of communication passages. We used to make communication routes, but we didn't have to equip them before the troops came in [we just dug trenches without covering them with wood – UP] because wood deteriorates under the influence of weather conditions.

However, the new fortifications also included the arrangement of communication routes, a certain technology, a certain tree, size, etc. After that, we had to get the schematic maps, which indicate where a particular fortification should be built on the ground - a platoon stronghold, anti-tank ditch, tetrahedrons, non-explosive barriers, etc.

Next came the process of mine clearance, obtaining demining certificates from the military, and starting construction. In fact, this has been going on since 1 March." 

Details: Syniehubov said that it was not possible to start building everything at once, as for some of the sites, the demining certificates were received only in late March or early April.

"We were adding about ten sites every week. We reached the peak of construction in April," he said.

Background:

In early May, the Ministry of Defence announced that it was completing the construction of fortifications in five oblasts, including Donetsk Oblast, where active fighting continues.

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