Thermal imaging is so widespread that the unit cannot keep cats to deal with mice; a cat’s heat signature could expose nearby soldiers. Vyshebaba now integrates ground robotic systems to deliver mortars, clear routes, and assist in demining. 9/
Full-scale invasion and national resilience, broadcasted live.
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Strategic neutralization: economic tools to make Russian assaults unsustainable
Former Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk describes Ukraine’s approach as “strategic neutralization”: use economical tools to blunt Russian operations and raise the cost of assaults until they become unsustainable. 10/
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Ukrainian troops rely on own systems and improvisation, not US equipment
Asked what American systems they currently use at the front, they struggled to name specific equipment. For them, the war is sustained primarily by Ukrainian systems and improvisation. Neither expects a near-term end. 7/
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Mortar unit Minotaurs halts Russian assault near Pokrovsk
Near Pokrovsk, Junior Sgt. Pavlo Vyshebaba, 39, serves in a mortar unit nicknamed the “Minotaurs.” Mortar fire can halt a Russian assault for 10–15 minutes, buying time for drone units to strike. 8/
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Two Ukrainians abandon studies and work, choose to enlist instead
“Legat,” 23, left a master’s program in international law in Kyiv in February 2025 because he no longer believed international law would protect Ukraine. “Kapa,” 32, a construction worker from Kharkiv, enlisted to choose his moment rather than wait for conscription. 6/
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Ukrainian Vampire drone units near front line with heavy explosives
In August, about six miles from the front, Gumenyuk stayed with drone units of the Code 9.2 Assault Regiment. They operate Ukrainian-made “Vampire” drones that carry roughly 30 pounds of explosives over distances exceeding 10 miles. 5/
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War as permanent reality: exhausted but hardened Ukrainian soldiers
The war no longer feels like a temporary disruption. Soldiers describe it as the only reality they know. The Ukrainian military is exhausted but battle-hardened. 3/
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Trenches under drone surveillance with modern strike systems
Near the front, trenches sit under constant drone surveillance. The battlefield combines early 20th-century fortifications with 21st-century strike systems. Mechanized movement is limited by drones, mines, and precision fire. 4/
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Frankl’s ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ is a wartime bestseller in Ukraine
Capt. Mykola Serga, a former entertainer who joined the army in 2022, says those who endure focus on the task at hand. Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning (1940s) is now a wartime bestseller in Ukraine and is delivered to trenches to sustain morale. 2/
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War’s End Question Deemed Meaningless by Frankl and Soldiers
When will war in Ukraine end? The question is meaningless. Viktor Frankl: The first to break were those who believed it would end soon, and those who believed it would never end. N. Gumenyuk writes in NYT how Ukrainian soldiers treat the question of when the war will end. 1/