Clément Molin concluded his recent research into the progression of fortification works by the Ukrainians over the recent months and shared the results. I recommend reading the thread because it’s an analysis that deserves attention and to which I think really lots of time has been devoted.

On the operational and strategic rear of virtually the entire front line, fortifications, trenches etc. are being built or reinforced; this confirms what we have read anecdotally from Ukrainian sources, i.e. that since the beginning of 2024 the pace of these works has increased exponentially, with the allocation of important funds from the government and the involvement of private construction companies. Here is the interactive map.

Yes, these points are true. Building fortifications is very expensive and labor-intensive. But let’s also remember what DeepState wrote several months ago: the mindset that building defenses is for weak, passive people who don’t plan offensives is something that matters a lot. I actually think the Ukrainian top brass though that building fortifications a year ago would have been seen as a sign that they didn’t hold trust and faith in their upcoming offensive.

I had never heard of him. I had a look at his profile and it looks like he has his own map with the fortifications drawn by Molin’s work in the background.