As winter closes in, Russia is pounding Ukraine’s energy infrastructure almost every night, putting power, heat, and running water at risk. Ukraine is running short of interceptors that can stop Russian ballistic missiles.
The skies above eastern Ukraine no longer belong to pilots or artillery, but to the constant hum of suicide drones. In the corridor guarding Donetsk’s last fortress cities—Slovyansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka, and Kostiantynivka—Ukrainian defenders from the Rubizh Brigade and 1st Azov Corps rely on robotic resupply vehicles and underground shelters to survive what troops call the Kill Zone.
“What’s the name of those creatures in Harry Potter that Luna Lovegood says only appear to you after you’ve seen death? Well, whatever they are, we’re all gonna be seeing them now forever.”