By Marc Santora
A small group of Ukrainian soldiers found themselves encircled. They were defending their position on the battlefield, yet Russian forces had infiltrated behind their defenses.
“Even if we maintain our position, supplies – whether ammunition or provisions – will inevitably be depleted,” stated Capt. Viacheslav, 30, the leader of an elite drone unit, as he observed the situation from several miles away in eastern Ukraine last week. “Any attempts to deliver supplies will be met with ambush.”
“We often find ourselves in these challenging predicaments,” he remarked.
As the conflict in Ukraine approaches its fourth winter and the first snowfall covers battle-scarred fields littered with bodies, the challenges faced by Ukrainian forces are intensifying.
Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukraine’s leading military official, recently expressed that his troops were engaged in a fight to prevent “one of the most formidable Russian offensives from launching a full-scale invasion.”
A boost came for Ukraine on Sunday when the United States, after persistent lobbying from Ukraine, announced its approval for Ukraine to utilize U.S.-provided weapons for strikes deeper into Russian territory. On Tuesday, they launched American-made ballistic missiles, known as ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System), targeting a munitions facility in Russia.
However, Donald Trump’s recent election to the U.S. presidency has added another layer of uncertainty regarding the trajectory of the Ukrainian war effort.
While concerns about the continuity of robust U.S. military support to Ukraine have incited a whirlwind of international diplomatic efforts, the impact of these decisions will be most profoundly felt on the front lines, where exhausted Ukrainian soldiers are fiercely defending their homeland.
Facing an enemy that outnumbers them by more than six to one in some areas, soldiers and commanders report being impeded by a shortage of combat-ready infantry after years of intense fighting and, crucially, a lack of experienced platoon and company leaders to guide inexperienced recruits into combat. This has resulted in a fracturing of Ukraine’s defenses, allowing Russia to capture significant territory since the initial weeks of the conflict.
“Brigades that have endured prolonged combat are simply exhausted,” Viacheslav noted, reflecting sentiments shared by more than a dozen commanders and soldiers interviewed along the front last week.
The soldiers, referred to only by their first names in line with military protocol, expressed the need to voice their concerns publicly to emphasize the urgency of the situation to both military and civilian leaders as well as the public.
“We’re stretched too thin,” Viacheslav declared. “People must step up to serve. There’s no other option.”
In addition to personnel shortages, Ukraine is deficient in medium- and long-range weaponry necessary to undertake a sustained and effective campaign targeting Russian logistics, command and control centers, and other strategic sites.
More than a dozen Ukrainian soldiers on the front reported a significant decline in artillery fire from their side over recent weeks, including the U.S.-supplied multiple rocket launcher system known as HIMARS.
“HIMARS — I hardly hear them anymore. They’re nearly absent,” remarked Sgt. Maj. Dmytro, 33, a drone operator and unit leader. “If we had more ammunition, it could offset our manpower shortage.”
Due to the artillery shortage, drones are now responsible for 80% or more of the enemy losses across many segments of the front, according to commanders.
Consequently, drone operators have become prime targets. “It’s a constant fight for survival — each day is a matter of chance,” Dmytro conveyed.
A seasoned drone pilot and platoon leader, Sgt. Maj. Vasyl, described how Russians are even deploying thousand-pound guided bombs to eliminate small drone teams, with one striking just a few hundred feet from his location last week.
“If they identify a drone operator, they unleash everything on us,” he stated.
However, soldiers emphasized that drones alone will not stabilize their defensive lines.
“Nothing substitutes for infantry,” Viacheslav asserted, adding that drones “cannot realistically halt the enemy.”
Russian forces are concentrating their efforts on seizing the last Ukrainian stronghold in the southern Donetsk region, Kurakhove, while strategizing to assault the key city of Pokrovsk from the south.
Russia still has considerable distance to cover before fulfilling the Kremlin’s objectives of capturing Ukraine’s two easternmost regions, Luhansk and Donetsk.
Ukrainian soldiers conveyed that the most effective way to halt Russian advancements is not through direct confrontations — which inherently favor the larger Russian forces — but by diminishing the enemy’s combat effectiveness.
The artillery deficit jeopardizes this strategy. With no indication that the Russian offensive will subside, Ukraine is working urgently to reinforce its defensive positions across the front. Tree lines are being cleared to limit potential hiding spots for Russians. Tank traps are being excavated deeply into the ground. New trenches are branching off from roadsides in multiple directions. And productive fields are fortified with concrete dragon’s teeth and sown with mines.
Nevertheless, troops are still needed to occupy the trenches.
Brigades that typically manage a 3-mile stretch of land are occasionally tasked with defending a line two to three times that length, soldiers reported.
When reinforcements do arrive, they often lack combat experience, and with each passing month, as losses increase, there are fewer seasoned veterans available to provide guidance.
Communication has also become a challenge for Ukraine. When units from different brigades are dispatched to fill gaps along the frontline, it can lead to coordination issues.
Junior Sgt. Denys, a drone operator near Kurakhove, illustrated an instance of this problem.
Upon detecting enemy movement using a thermal imager, he only sees a heat signature.
“I can’t see the uniform and insignia,” he remarked.
To ensure he isn’t targeting friendly forces, he consults his commander regarding troop presence in the vicinity. However, his commander needs to reach out to another battalion commander, who must in turn inquire with others.
“It takes time for this information to circulate,” he said.
Time, unfortunately, is a luxury that soldiers under attack cannot afford.
