


In Pokrovsk, Ukraine, the Underground War
GalleryPhotographer Adrien Vautier accompanied combat units for Le Monde on the front line surrounding Pokrovsk. The city is a major logistical hub for the entire Donbas region. The battle, which began nine months ago, has been violent; Russian assaults have intensified and Ukrainian counterattacks are swift and fierce.
To survive in the hell that Pokrovsk has become in eastern Ukraine, it is necessary to bury oneself. The sky buzzes day and night with drones searching the terrain for targets. They detect anything that moves. Infantry, civilian or military vehicles, armored units: nothing escapes their infrared-equipped cameras. Afterward, it's the turn of FPV (First Person View) drones - either suicide or bomber - to kill, pierce, and destroy. No armor withstands successive attacks. The military is forced to live underground in cellars: tunnels with carefully camouflaged entrances to prevent FPV drones from entering and blowing everything up.
The most dangerous activity involves moving, especially rotating to the back, during which the soldiers must move very quickly, preferably at dawn or dusk, when daytime drones are replaced by nighttime drones and vice versa. One must dash to the destination when the contrast is at its lowest on the drone operators' screens. And the danger increases exponentially as they approach enemy positions. Within 5 kilometers, it's referred to as the "death zone."
Drones cause up to 80% of human losses, but artillery remains a danger, especially for the civilian population that persists within this deadly environment. Similarly, anti-personnel mines, precisely placed on the ground by drones behind enemy lines, pose a threat.
You have 0% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.