Winter is Russia’s weapon

The writer, a Ukrainian soldier serving in the Donbas, describes how drought and other weather conditions have shaped life and military operations at the front. The account shows that even a technologically advanced war remains constrained by nature, with weather affecting both the use of drones and the movement of troops.

The writer recalls that the summer brought little rain or dawn dew, intense heat, and no mushrooms in the local tree lines, which also serve as shelter and defensive positions. Gusty winds can limit drones, cloud cover weakens aerial reconnaissance, and fog can conceal both enemy infiltration and the evacuation of wounded soldiers. The article’s opening also links the coming winter to Russian attacks on critical infrastructure in Kyiv, which left residents without water, electricity or heating.