Nearby Kreminna, Ukraine
CNN
—
The pine forest near the city of Kreminna became one of the hottest combat zones during the war in eastern Ukraine. Almost any weapon seems to be used here: artillery, howitzers, tanks, mortars. But perhaps the most important is the smallest reconnaissance drone.
Ukrainian and Russian forces have been fighting here for almost two months. If Ukrainians can break through Russian lines and reach Kreminna, they can disrupt Russian supply routes.
But it’s a much tougher proposition than it was at the end of last year. Russian defense lines are reinforced with heavy weapons and long-range artillery.
CNN accompanied two Ukrainian drone operators from Dnipro 1 Battalion to see how they operate deep in the forest. The journey took us along soft sandy trails framed by a thin canopy of pine trees and through eerie landscapes dotted with streams and swamps.
A year ago, one of the drone pilots named Ruslan was a snowboard and kayak instructor. Now he watches the movement of Russian armor along forest trails, deftly skimming drones over treetops.
Upon arrival at the foxhole, the drone operator’s vehicle is carefully maneuvered in the shade of the trees. Russia also has reconnaissance drones, and Ukrainian drone operators are seen as high-value targets.
Ruslan points east and north. The Russians were 7 km (4 miles) away in one direction and 3 km (4 miles) away in the other.
Despite weighing less than a kilogram and having a span of just 35 centimeters (14 inches), the Mavic-3 drone is a mainstay of Ukrainian reconnaissance, roaring up from nearby open ground. It will stay in the air for about 45 minutes, travel a total of up to 30 kilometers, and send high-definition video back to the operator.
Their job is to provide real-time information on Russian positions and movements and help Ukrainian artillery re-target. Hidden in the woods are batteries of 120mm and 82mm artillery And somewhere near the giant Krab 155 mm howitzer, one of about 50 donated by Poland. Ukrainians love the Krab’s accuracy and power, but it’s hard to maintain.
“This is an artillery battle all day long,” says Ruslan.
he’s not exaggerating. There are few moments of silence while CNN hangs out with his Ruslan and his colleagues. Shells fired from nearby Ukrainian batteries make a deafening roar. Masses of Russian artillery fire echo in the distance.
“Last month, more and more Russian troops came here,” says Ruslan. “The general line is static, but the positions are constantly changing. Sometimes the Russians advance, sometimes we advance.”
It means a shootout in the woods. But it also means that Ukraine is running out of artillery ammunition rapidly. Trucks with fresh supplies drive around the nearby village of Yampil, but Ruslan says Ukraine needs more artillery ammunition here.
In the nearby village of Zalichne, just beyond the woodlands, Russian artillery targets a rickety bridge daily. Very few villages remain. Those left here are mostly the elderly and the poor. They are stuck or won’t leave.
One of them, a 69-year-old woman who calls herself Valentina, told CNN that Russian forces are constantly shelling her village.
“It’s dangerous, but what can we do? We endure. Sometimes we hide. But it’s too cold in the basement right now and we might freeze to death there,” she says.
“Look at my window, there is no glass left. It was covered only with wood and plastic. And it’s cold.”
She looks wistfully down the street, as if remembering better times.
Valentina’s daughter is far away in Dnipro in central Ukraine, but she has no intention of leaving home to live with her. After all, she planted potatoes. “I won’t throw them away,” she says with a weary smile.
Zarychne, like most of the region, was occupied by Russian forces until it was liberated by Ukrainian forces last fall. But the liberation was only in name. The slopes and forests beyond echo the impact of rockets and artillery shells. Ukrainian troops are dug in among the pines and sand nearby, where unexploded ordnance litters the forest floor.
A few miles away, Dnipro 1 Battalion has its own drone workshop, where NATO-issued grenades are carefully cut in half and reconfigured as small free-fall ammunition. Underneath the table is a slab of C-4 plastic explosive. It’s a painstaking and painstaking process that he produces one hand-made ammunition every 20 minutes.
Part of the unit’s drone ammunition is basically fragmentation grenades dropped on infantry, especially fighters from Russian private military contractor Wagner Fighters around Bakhmut. Heavier versions can damage or disable the tank.
Graf is the commander of Dnipro 1’s unmanned aerial vehicle unit. He said drones “have become one of the most important elements of this war, both for us and for the enemy. Without drones, nothing can be done.”
And it targets his men. “At the moment, being a drone operator is one of the most dangerous jobs. The enemy knows that we are the eyes of the military. We do: barrel guns, MLRS, tanks,” says Graf.
“We have a high pilot mortality rate and our enemies are always looking for us,” says Graf.
Ukrainian soldiers on this front have no illusions that this conflict will be won anytime soon. In the eastern Donbass region, a brutal and attrition battle is taking place. Profits and losses are measured in hundreds of meters.
Graf repeats what every Ukrainian soldier seems to say. “Now we are receiving tanks, so we need more tanks. And we need air and long-range missiles. We have to destroy the enemy approaching Ukraine. That will win. It’s the only way to
And for his squad, Graf dreams of getting US Predator attack drones. That’s not considered in Washington DC.
Meanwhile, Ruslan and his colleagues are on the line, and Valentina is praying for them in Zalicine.
“How dare you come to a stranger’s land for a Russian!” she says. “I support Ukraine. I was born here. My ancestors are from here. I have always been and will always be pro-Ukraine.”
