INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Their supple wings, in the evening light, glide over fields of dried sunflowers and disappear behind massive slag heaps that, from one
his face focused.After crossing the bridge in Pokrovsk, destroyed a few weeks earlier by Russian forces, he heads south toward Selydove
engine noise.On both sides of the road, columns of smoke set the sky ablaze
A grating sound erupts behind us
A shell has just crashed into a field a few meters away
Right next to the impact, in front of a small house with a tin roof, an old woman, unfazed, watches as the military jeeps speed past.Past
the first village, our car plunges into the woods
Once in the red zone, Philippe swiftly exits the driver's seat and switches on a small black box with antennas at the back of the car
"It's to jam the drones," he explains.Dmytro walking in a trench, surrounded by dust after they fired.Joseph RocheSince the beginning of the
summer, Russian forces, in a full-scale offensive in the Donbas, have achieved their greatest advance since the start of the war in February
increasingly critical situation, the men of the 68th Brigade were brought back a few weeks ago to stem the Russian advance
For now, the Ukrainian forces seem to have stabilized the front, but no one knows for how long.A stabilized front, but for how long?Around
an old Soviet cannon seized from the Russians during the Kharkiv counteroffensive in 2022, a dozen Ukrainian soldiers chat and laugh.Their
commander, Taras, 31, sports a long black beard
"We mostly do counter-battery fire," he says
save Pokrovsk," Taras says.Taras, one of the commanders, hiding from Russian counter-battery fire.Joseph RocheThe calm conversation is
interrupted by a phone call
Once he hangs up, he briskly moves toward the artillery piece
(armed)!" shouts one soldier
"Ostril (fire)!" responds Taras
As soon as the word is spoken, an explosion shakes the ground, and the cannon seems engulfed in flames.After the shot, they all gather in
"We have to wait five minutes
"It takes 50 seconds for a shell fired from the Russian side to reach its target." In the second minute, Philippe lights a cigarette
Once the time has passed, one of the soldiers cracks a joke
time," says Oleksandr with a wink.Sufficient equipmentLike the 68th Brigade, the men of the 15th Brigade, positioned on the same part of the
Originally from Lviv in western Ukraine, he believes that Kyiv will be able to hold the front for a few more months."I think we have a
chance to hold out for some time," he explains
"It all depends on the Russian advance and our ability to stop them
If we hold Selydove until the rainy season, we can hold Pokrovsk through the winter."Known as the Rasputitsa, the rainy season, usually
between mid-October and early November, dictates the pace of the war in Ukraine
Within days, a frontline can turn into a swamp, making the movement of essential vehicles nearly impossible for ongoing operations
One must then wait for the cracked mud to freeze at the start of winter to launch new offensives.Terril on the way back from Selydove, in
He explains that their units are better prepared for winter this year and have much more ammunition than they did a few months ago.After
facing acute ammunition shortages for most of 2023, Ukrainian forces have in recent months secured enough supplies to defend themselves
This improvement is largely thanks to the initiative of Czech President Petr Pavel, who managed to mobilize nearly a million shells from
need."Still, this improvement might be superficial
"They were too deep and were jeopardizing their supply line," he says.Oleksandr of the 68th Brigade is well aware
"Every village results in street fighting and significant losses for the Russians
So they try to bypass and suffocate them
Despite the difficulties faced by the Ukrainian army, he thinks they will be able to keep Pokrovsk.Yet despite the optimistic talk, the
return journey betrays the Russian advance
Every five to 10 kilometers along the road from Pokrovsk to Kramatorsk, passing through Dobropillia, massive excavators dig new trenches,
He knows it: The Russians are advancing.A Message from The Moscow Times:Dear readers,We are facing unprecedented challenges
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