Ukrainian troops confront escalating challenges amid depleting resources during Russian war

#ukraine #russia #putin
Reuters reporters recently spent two weeks near the 1000-km frontline in Donetsk region, speaking to more than 20 Ukrainian soldiers and commanders in infantry, drone and artillery units fighting invading Russian troops.

Their downbeat description of the war in Ukraine, which is about to enter its third year, reflects a broader acceptance in Kyiv and among its allies that depleted ranks and insufficient arms and ammunition have handed Russia the advantage.

While still motivated by what they see as a choice between fighting or the horrors of occupation, the soldiers spoke of the challenges of holding off a larger and better supplied enemy as military support from the West slows.

The level of attrition underlines the cost to Ukraine of defending its territory, even if the frontlines have largely stagnated in the last 14 months.

"We have a big problem with manpower, we simply lack men," said a commander in the 59th Brigade who goes by his call sign "Limousine". "We need big reinforcements, many people here are tired."

Unseasonably warm weather in the east of Ukraine has turned frozen soil into thick mud, while the changing temperatures are taking their toll on soldiers' health.

"The weather is rain, snow, rain, snow. As a result, people get ill with simple flu or angina. They're out of action for some time, and there is nobody to replace them."

A new law aimed at mobilising 450-500,000 more Ukrainians is currently going through parliament, but for some soldiers fighting now, significant reinforcements seem a distant hope.

A soldier serving in a GRAD missile unit, whose call sign is "Scorpion", said that his multiple rocket launcher, which uses a Soviet-designed munition rarely found in Western inventories, was now operating at about 30% of maximum capacity.

Kyiv has overseen a boom in private drone production and innovation and is developing more advanced, long-range UAVs that can strike deep into Russia territory, while Moscow has more than matched the initiative with huge investments of its own.

"Even to dig out an (infantry) position is now a problem," company commander Limousine explained. "Our guys start to do something, a drone sees them, and a second drone arrives to drop something onto them."

"Recently we were trying to destroy a dugout, to destroy a place from which they were firing," recalled drone pilot "Leleka", who serves in the elite 92nd Brigade. Before the full-scale invasion, the 36-year-old ran a taxi service in the eastern city of Kharkiv.

"There was a queue of drones to destroy this firing point ... there were two or three (waiting)."

Still, UAVs have forced the Russians to move valuable vehicles and weapons systems back by several kilometres, two drone pilots in different units said.

"After we got good drones, in two or three months it's now very hard to find vehicles to hit," said callsign "Nato", a pilot in the 24th brigade.

Darwin, a 20-year-old drone pilot, talked with imagination about the potential future of the drone war in Ukraine's skies.

“In future, I am sure there will be an analogous situation with drones: The concentration and effectiveness of electronic warfare will become so big that any connection between an aerial vehicle and its pilot will become impossible.”

In his first statement since taking over as leader of Ukraine's armed forces this month, Oleksandr Syrskyi cited the need for technological innovation as well as emphasising the importance of strong logistics and operational command.

today news, breaking news, russian soldiers execute surrendering ukrainian pows, pows, surrendering ukrainian, russian soldiers execute, russian execution, ukraine, ukrainian, ukrainian soldiers shot, ukrainian soldiers attacked, avdiivka, avdiivka battle, explosion, russian tank explodes, russian tank explosion, russian truck explodes, russian, ukraine russia, russia ukraine, trenches, fighting in trenches, trench fighting, russian troops, kamikaze drone, drone attack