The missile strike that killed dozens of people in the eastern Ukrainian city of Poltava on Tuesday served as a deadly reminder that the tempo of the war has been picking up, both on the ground and in the air.
The fortunes of the warring sides have ebbed and flowed since President Vladimir V. Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. After a Ukrainian counteroffensive last summer aimed at reclaiming territory captured by Russia failed to meet key objectives, Moscow took the initiative and pushed to seize more ground.
The attack on Tuesday extended a wave of assaults on cities across Ukraine that Russia began a week ago, even as it pushes forward with fierce attacks along the front line in Ukraine’s east. Early on Monday, Russia carried out its third large-scale bombardment of Ukraine in a week, with explosions ringing out in Kyiv and several other cities after a volley of missiles was fired on the first day of the school year.
The nationwide barrages of missiles and drones have been among the largest since the start of Russia’s invasion.
In an effort to undermine Russia’s ability to supply its forces with fuel and cut into the energy revenues that fund the Kremlin’s war effort, the Ukrainian military has for months been targeting Russian oil and gas facilities with attacks. But the campaign has not yet had a demonstrable effect on the fighting inside Ukraine, where Russian forces made steady gains throughout the summer in the eastern Donbas region.
Ukraine had hoped that the long-awaited arrival of Western-supplied F-16 fighter jets would assist in repelling Russian attacks and forces. That effort suffered a blow last week when one of the warplanes crashed while defending against an intense Russian aerial attack, in what may have been a friendly-fire incident.
In an attempt to force Russia to divert forces away from eastern Ukraine, officials in Kyiv ordered an incursion into the Kursk region of Russia in early August. While Russia did send reinforcements to the region, the troops were not sent from eastern Ukraine.
Instead, Russia has pressed on in Ukraine’s east, advancing on the city of Pokrovsk, where the local authorities have urged civilians to evacuate. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine — who on Tuesday said the Ukrainian offensive in Kursk was going “according to plan” — has sent reinforcements to Pokrovsk, a vital transport and logistics hub for Ukrainian forces in the Donbas region.
The capture of Pokrovsk by Russian forces would be their biggest gain in the region since they seized the cities of Marinka and Avdiivka in January and February after intense ground fighting and bombardment.
It also would bring Russian forces one step closer to achieving a key goal for Mr. Putin: full control of the Donbas region.
Marc Santora contributed reporting.
Read More: The pace of the war in Ukraine has been picking up in recent weeks.
