April 12, 2023 at 3:30 p.m. EDT
A Ukrainian soldier in a trench in the eastern Donetsk region on Friday. (Heidi Levine for the Washington Post)Comment on this storyComment
DONETSK REGION, Ukraine — While struggling with ammunition shortages and awaiting supplies from Western backers, Ukrainian forces are testing Russian defenses for weaknesses ahead of a much-anticipated counteroffensive.
At a trench just over a kilometer from Russian lines, a Ukrainian corporal is working with a partner unit that flies commercial drones to monitor Russian forces, identify weak points and plan attacks to destroy fortifications.
“We’re testing them,” he said, describing small-scale operations aimed at identifying Russian combat positions and measuring their response. “And of course they’re doing the same to us.” Like others in that report, the corporal spoke on the condition that he be identified only by his rank and his call sign, “Boxer,” according to Ukrainian military regulations.
Boxer said the small-scale operations are preparing his unit for an all-out attack while they wait for more ammunition and heavier equipment. “It’s better not to let it happen [Russian troops] dig in so we can push them out more easily,” he said.
The expected spring offensive has been portrayed as a crucial opportunity for Ukraine this year to retake territory held by Russian forces, which makes up about a fifth of the country. But the operation has been delayed by the weather, slow equipment shipments and shortages of ammunition, raising fears of a deadlock.
The planned counterattack is further complicated by leaks of dozens of US military and intelligence documents, including many details about the state of Ukraine’s military and its capabilities, including weaknesses in air defenses that could force commanders to change plans.
Faced with critical ammunition shortages, Ukrainian troops are rationing shells
If Kiev is unable to retake significant territory and the flag of the country’s Western backers, many Ukrainians fear they will be in an unfavorable position to be forced into negotiations with Russia.
The non-commissioned officer in the Donetsk region has held the same trench position for over six months. “We got to know their voices,” he said of the Russian soldiers a little over a kilometer away. “At night we hear a lot of drunken shouting, mostly swear words.”
Another commander, stationed outside the town of Bakhmut, described conducting similar operations to test Russian defenses.
“We saw newly mobilized people [Russian] Troops brought here just to dig and they are reinforcing their positions very well,” said the 24-year-old captain, who goes by the call sign Metis, and oversees his unit’s mission planning and reconnaissance. “They fortify themselves with anything they can find: wood, even junk.”
A recent operation first used drones to identify minefields on the Russian side, before dispatching two small teams. “The results were much better than we had planned; Some of the soldiers fired back, but many abandoned their positions and weapons,” Metis said. The teams were able to push back a first line of Russian troops, but the Ukrainians made no advance and made no attempt to hold the position.
“Morale is low,” he explained of the desertions, “but that doesn’t mean all Russian troops will behave like that. Their commanders are capable, but it looks like they can’t control their forces.”
He admitted that the success of the test operations does not mean that his unit is ready for the full offensive. It’s still waiting for more heavy equipment, armored vehicles to push large numbers of troops forward, and more training.
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When the unit first received an advanced anti-tank weapon system, troops trained using the system manual and YouTube tutorials, he said.
“What worries me the most is the anti-personnel mines. We can’t see them with our drones,” he said. During an operation, he said, they found the small explosives scattered throughout a Russian defensive position. “There were even mines in the trenches where they lived.”
Western aid played a crucial role last year in helping Ukrainian forces push back Russian troops from the northeastern Kharkiv region and parts of Kherson to the south. However, the fight has since slowed to a protracted grind and it’s unclear if the extra support will be enough to break the stalemate. In some parts of occupied Ukraine, Russia has meanwhile dug in with heavily fortified defenses.
“Of course I’m worried the longer we wait,” said a Ukrainian lieutenant colonel commanding a tank battalion in the Zaporizhia region, which has the callsign Thunder. Russian forces “are getting stronger and stronger every day,” Thunder said.
Heavily mined front lines are expected to pose a particularly difficult obstacle to navigation, he said. “There are mines on both sides of the front. We laid a lot of mines, and so did the Russian side.”
Despite their defensive posture, Ukrainian forces continue to suffer casualties. The battle for Bakhmut has escalated into the longest and deadliest battle of the war, with heavy casualties on both sides.
At a recent mass funeral for Ukrainian soldiers in Dnipro, 14 coffins draped with the national flag were blessed by Orthodox priests before being buried.
“Eternal glory to the heroes, eternal glory to all those who gave their lives for the freedom of Ukraine,” said one of the priests during the service.
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Vlad, a 26-year-old soldier, was killed when mortar shells hit his position outside Bakhmut while he was digging a trench. For security reasons, his family asked that he be called by his first name only.
“We were thrown into battle the first day after I entered,” said Vitalii, who served with Vlad and laid flowers on his grave. “I didn’t even know what unit I was in, it was so chaotic. Vlad was the first person I saw; I just followed him to know where to go.”
The two became close in nearly a year of side-by-side fighting. Vitalii said he was shocked when he heard Vlad being killed. When the shelling started, Vlad didn’t run for cover like the others. “He must have been tired because I know he knew how to protect himself.”
“I know we must fight this war, but I also know that war is not the solution,” Vitalii said. “It’s just stupid.”
“Right now I just feel exhausted,” he said, “and I remember Vlad saying he feels the same way.”
One year of Russia’s war in Ukraine
Portraits of Ukraine: Every Ukrainian’s life has changed – big and small – since Russia launched its full-scale invasion a year ago. They have learned to survive and support each other in extreme circumstances, in bomb shelters and hospitals, destroyed apartment complexes and destroyed marketplaces. Scroll through portraits of Ukrainians reflecting on a year of loss, resilience and fear.
Attrition: Over the past year, the war has morphed from an invasion on multiple fronts that included Kiev in the north to a conflict of attrition largely centered on a vast territory to the east and south. Follow the 600-mile frontline between Ukrainian and Russian forces and get a glimpse of where the fighting was concentrated.
Living apart for a year: Russia’s invasion, coupled with Ukraine’s martial law barring military-age men from leaving the country, has forced millions of Ukrainian families to make agonizing choices about how to balance safety, duty and love, with once-intertwined lives no longer are recognizable. This is what a train station full of farewells looked like last year.
Deepening of the global divide: President Biden has dubbed the reinvigorated Western alliance forged during the war a “global coalition,” but a closer look suggests the world is far from settled on the issues raised by the Ukraine war to be united. There is ample evidence that efforts to isolate Putin have failed and that sanctions have not stopped Russia thanks to its oil and gas exports.
Understanding the Russia-Ukraine conflict
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