SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Russian forces are making small but steady gains in Ukraine. The Russians have taken a number of villages in the east and are moving toward a key town. NPR's Greg Myre has an update on the fighting there. He's in Kyiv. Greg, thanks for being with us.
GREG MYRE, BYLINE: Hi, Scott.
SIMON: Let's begin with, what exactly has Russia managed to capture?
MYRE: So over the past couple of weeks, the Russians have seized a number of small villages in the East. And I got to tell you, they're so small, they're difficult to find on a map. So none of these places are significant by themselves, but the steady Russian progress - a mile here, a mile there - it is notable in a war where the front line is largely static.
Now, Ukrainians say the Russian target is the town of Pokrovsk, which is a major transportation hub that Ukraine uses to send troops and supplies to the east. The Russians are probably at least 10 miles away from there. I spoke about this with Ukraine's most prominent war correspondent, Andriy Tsaplienko, who recently returned from the front line.
ANDRIY TSAPLIENKO: They start attacking us with the big numbers of small groups from many directions, using their upper hand in the manpower.
SIMON: The U.S. and other Western countries have recently tried to step up weapons deliveries to Ukraine, Greg, and is that not providing the kind of boost that was expected?
MYRE: Well, Ukraine says it is getting more weapons, but it's still outgunned. So right now, Ukraine's biggest challenge may be the manpower, as we just heard. Russia attacked Ukraine's second biggest city - Kharkiv, in the northeast - back in May. So Ukraine sent additional troops there to blunt the Russian attack, and that worked. The Russian offensive stalled. In fact, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the troops this week in a city that's just 20 miles from the Russian border. But reinforcing Kharkiv in the northeast meant Ukraine had fewer troops in the east, where the Russians are attacking now. Ukraine just doesn't have enough troops to spare, Scott.
SIMON: How's Ukraine doing in other fronts in the war?
MYRE: Well, there is some positive news. Ukraine apparently got its first batch of F-16 fighter jets this week. They've been pleading for those U.S.-made planes throughout the war. Now, Ukraine hasn't officially confirmed it, but it's not denying the multiple media reports here, and they were expected from several European countries.
We are talking about a small number of planes, apparently fewer than 10. Ukraine says it needs more than a hundred to effectively counter the Russians, who have more than a thousand fighter jets of their own. And this certainly won't change the trajectory of the war right now, but Ukraine doesn't have much of an air force. It's relied on aging planes that it inherited from the Soviet Union. It hopes this will be the start of a more modern air force based on Western aircraft.
SIMON: And, Greg, what about Russia's targeting of, well, Ukraine's electricity grid and other infrastructure?
MYRE: Yeah, so I don't want to jinx Ukraine, but the country is now in its sixth straight day without power cuts nationwide, and that's been a real rarity in recent months - in fact, pretty much all summer. Now, a number of developments have turned in Ukraine's favor. The weather has turned mild. The highs are in the 70s here in Kyiv and around the country, replacing a summer heat wave. Ukraine repaired a nuclear power station, which has provided additional electricity.
And those Russian missile strikes, which were hitting power plants and causing a lot of damage, have tapered off, at least for now. The Russians are still carrying out air assaults. They fired nearly 90 drones in an overnight barrage this week - many of them at Kyiv. But they were all shot down without any damage. And that's where we are now.
SIMON: NPR's Greg Myre in Kyiv, thanks so much for being with us.
MYRE: Sure thing, Scott.
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