near Kremina, Ukraine
CNN
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The pine forest near the city of Cremina has become one of the hottest war zones in the world war in eastern ukraine, It seems that almost every weapon is working here, artillery, howitzers, tank and mortars. But perhaps most important is the smallest: the reconnaissance drone.
The forces of Ukraine and Russia have been fighting here for almost two months. If the Ukrainians could break through Russian lines and reach Kremina, they could disrupt Russian supply routes.
But it’s a far tougher proposition than at the end of last year. The Russian defensive lines have been strengthened with heavy weapons and long-range artillery.
CNN accompanied two Ukrainian drone operators to the Dnipro-1 battalion deep in the forest to see how they operate. The journey was along tracks of soft sand amidst a thin canopy of pine trees, through an eerie landscape filled with streams and swamps.
A year ago, one of the drone operators, who gave his name only as Ruslan, was a snowboard and kayak instructor. Now he is watching the movement of Russian armor on forest tracks, deftly steering his drones across the treetops.
Arriving at a foxhole, the drone operators’ vehicles are carefully maneuvered under the cover of trees. The Russians also have reconnaissance drones, and Ukrainian drone operators are considered high-value targets.
Ruslan points to the east and north: the Russians were 7 kilometers (4 mi) in one direction and 3 kilometers in the other.
A Mavic-3 drone – the workhorse of Ukrainian reconnaissance, even though it weighs less than a kilogram and has a span of just 35 cm (14 in) – soars with a whiff from a nearby clearing. It can stay aloft for about 45 minutes and travel up to 30 kilometers in total, feeding back high-definition video to operators.
Their job is to provide real-time intelligence on Russian positions and movements, and also to help Ukrainian artillery pinpoint targets. Hidden among the woods are 120mm and 82mm artillery emplacements, and somewhere nearby is the massive Crab 155mm howitzer, one of about 50 donated by Poland. Ukrainians love the Crab for its accuracy and power, but are demanding to maintain it.
“It’s been an artillery battle all day,” Ruslan says.
He is not exaggerating. There are moments of silence during the hour with CNN’s Ruslan and his colleague. Artillery shells fired from a nearby Ukrainian position create a deafening roar. Russian shelling is heard in the distance.
“Last month, the Russian army is here more and more,” Ruslan says. “The overall line is stable but the position changes all the time. Sometimes the Russians (go) and sometimes our forces.
That is, arson in a dense forest. But it also means that Ukraine is rapidly outgrowing its artillery arsenal. Trucks race to the nearby village of Yampil with fresh supplies, but Ruslan says Ukraine needs a lot of artillery ammunition here.
In the nearby village of Zarichne, beyond the edge of the forest, Russian artillery targets a dilapidated bridge every day. Not much of the village is left standing: the residents are mainly elderly and destitute people. They either can’t or won’t leave.
One of them – a 69-year-old woman who gives her name as Valentina – tells CNN that the Russians shelled the village all the time.
“It’s dangerous but what can we do? We tolerate. Sometimes we hide. But it’s so cold in the basement now, you can freeze to death in there,” she says.
“Look at my windows, there is no glass left. We used only wood and plastic to cover them. And it’s cold.
She gazes anxiously out into the street, as if remembering better times.
Valentina’s daughter is away in Dnipro, in central Ukraine, but she won’t leave her home to be with her. After all he has sown potatoes. “I won’t leave them,” she says with a tired smile.
Zarichne – like large areas of the region – was occupied by the Russians for most of the previous year, before being liberated by the Ukrainian military in the fall. But got freedom in name only. Beyond the slopes and forests echoed with the impact of rockets and shells. Ukrainian units are dug in among nearby pines and sand, where unexploded ordnance scatters the forest floor.
A few miles away, the Dnipro-1 Battalion has its own drone workshop, where NATO-issue grenades are carefully sawed in half to reconstitute them as smaller, free-fall munitions. A slab of C-4 plastic explosive is placed under a table. It is a laborious and demanding process, producing one hand-made round of ammunition every 20 minutes.
Some of the unit’s drone munitions are essentially hand grenades dropped on infantry – and fighters from the Russian private military contractor Wagner fighters – around Bakhmut in particular. Heavy versions can damage or disable the tank.
The name of the commander of the drone unit of Dnipro-1 is Graf. He says that drones “have become one of the most important elements of this war – both for us and for the enemy. Without drones nothing can be executed.”
And that’s what targets his men. “Drone operator is one of the most dangerous jobs at the moment. The enemy knows that we are the eyes of our army. As soon as they detect a drone operator, they use all kinds of weapons: barrel artillery, MLRS, tanks , “says Graf.
“Our casualty rate among pilots is very high, the enemy is always looking for us.” Graph says.
None of the Ukrainian soldiers on this front are under any illusion that this conflict will be won soon. In the eastern Donbass region, brutal, attrition wars are unfolding: gains and losses are measured in hundreds of metres.
The graph tells what every soldier in Ukraine says. “Now we’re getting tanks – so we need more tanks. And we need aviation and long-range missiles. We have to destroy the enemy on the way to Ukraine. That’s the only way to win.
And for his unit, Graf dreams of getting American Predator attack drones. It is not under consideration in Washington, DC.
Meanwhile, Ruslan and his allies hold the line – and in Zarichne, Valentina prays for them.
“God damn those Russians who are coming to other people’s land!” she says. “I stand for Ukraine, I was born here, my ancestors are from here, I was always pro-Ukraine and always will be.”