Contact line, where intense fighting is taking place, exceeds 1200 km – Ukraine’s General Staff

Oleksiy Hromov, Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of AFU General Staff, stated this in an interview with Ukrinform.

He says that Russians do not abandon their intentions to reach the administrative borders of Donetsk Oblast.

"As part of the offensive operation in the Donetsk and Tavria operational areas, the most active directions are Melitopol and Berdyansk, where our units have advanced up to 7.5 km into the enemy's defense," Hromov said.

He noted that since the beginning of the offensive operation, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have liberated 9 settlements and regained control over nearly 160 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory.

"As for the length of the so-called 'hot' conflict front line, it currently exceeds 1200 km. However, this refers to the direct conflict line with Russians in the regions of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkiv, where active combat operations are taking place," said the representative of the General Staff.

At the same time, he emphasized that the potential danger near the northern border with Belarus and Russia cannot be ignored, as it is from there that the enemy conducts rocket and artillery shelling and launches sabotage and reconnaissance groups. There remains a threat of military invasion in that area.

There is also a threat along the coastal areas in the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions, despite the reduction in the enemy's naval capabilities.

In addition, the border with the occupied Transnistria poses a threat, where Russia maintains a limited military presence.

"Therefore, such a 'hot'  conflict front line can stretch for approximately 3,800 km," emphasized Hromov.

• On June 30th, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Headquarters, instructed Zaluzhnyi and Nayev to strengthen the defense on the border with Belarus.