KHARKIV, Ukraine—During pitched battles with far better armed Russian forces, Ukrainian soldier Batyar’s unit has few options. Devastating Russian aerial glide bombs that can drop up to 1.
Workers install anti-tank defenses known as “dragon teeth” during construction of new defensive positions close to the Russian border in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.
Lack of ammunition is forcing the outnumbered Ukrainian soldiers to pull back, one village after another, including three surrendered Sunday, as intense fighting roils the countryside surrounding Avdiivka nearly three months after the strategic city fell to Russia. Besides trenches and other barricades, the layered system includes mines and anti-tank obstacles known as “dragon’s teeth,” normally built in advance of fighting. Russia’s preparedness paid off during Kyiv’s failed counteroffensive last summer: Ukraine’s momentum was slowed in the Zaporizhzhia region by Moscow’s extensive fortifications.
Unlike Russia, Ukraine does not have the option of forcing thousands of prisoners to do the work. That means Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines must both fight and dig their own trenches.Building the second line, 2 to 5 kilometers behind the front line and within range of Russian artillery, is the responsibility of Ukraine’s poorly resourced engineering force. The third line, at a greater distance from battle, is constructed by companies under military contracts.
In Chasiv Yar, a strategic hilltop town in Donetsk, the lack of fortifications helped turn the tables in Russia’s favor. With nowhere to take cover and no means to match the Russian barrages, they retreated 2 kilometers back. Over 100 Ukrainian soldiers were killed or are missing, he said.
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