Three unassuming houses, among many others in large villages across the Ukrainian countryside, sit just a short distance from the Zaporizhzhia front in the south. Yet, they conceal the heart of Kyiv's defense strategy against what President Volodymyr Zelensky suspects to be a double game by the Kremlin: using ongoing ceasefire talks to prepare a new massive attack on Ukraine.
Beyond the range of Russian drones and close enough to quickly supply Ukrainian forces, these houses host secret workshops where mines and explosives are assembled for the 23rd Mechanized Brigade, along with the drones intended to transport them. The goal: to stop – or at least slow down – the growing number of Russian offensives.
Their inhabitants, often elderly, have left these dangerous zones, handing over their homes to men under the command of Oleksandr, known as "Saha" (he does not give his last name for security reasons), 32, promoted in the summer of 2024 to head this unit of 120 soldiers, including drone pilots, explosives specialists and targeting specialists. "We are the epicenter of the ongoing strategy: mining by drones," he said in a monotone voice. "Our army seeks to drastically increase the number of these units. Since the beginning of the talks, the Russians have increased their attacks in our sector tenfold. They are testing our weakest points to break through our lines."
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