The 750-mile front line in Ukraine has become a kill zone dominated by constant drone surveillance. Armies of drones watch, hunt, and strike anything that moves, widening the battlefield far beyond traditional trenches. Soldiers no longer march to the front; they crawl at night under thermal blankets to avoid heat signatures, and hide in abandoned buildings rather than dig trenches.
Two Ukrainian soldiers, Henadii and Mykhailo, spent six months in this zone. They barely left a half-destroyed house, relieving themselves in bottles and sleeping pressed together for warmth. Drones delivered supplies sporadically; each man lost 40 pounds. Russian drones patrolled six miles into Ukrainian territory, making escape perilous.
Leaving took days of zigzag hiking guided by a commander watching a live drone feed. A house they had slept in was destroyed 10 minutes after they departed. When they finally reached their unit, they were unrecognizable — gaunt, haunted, bearded. Henadii, who once claimed to hate chocolate cake, devoured one on video, prompting his wife to call in disbelief.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing