In the Trenches of Russia’s War Against Ukraine

Coffee or Die’s Nolan Peterson recently visited Ukraine’s eastern war zone. Moving north to south, he visited three key locations near the cities of Luhansk, Donetsk, and Shyrokyne.

After more than seven years, the war is clearly far from over.
Ukraine’s military continues to fight against a combined force of Russian regulars and pro-Russian separatists.The conflict blends modern weapons and technology with battlefield conditions similar to those of the World War I trenches. Soldiers deal with the daily threat of random death by snipers and shelling and drone strikes.

At some places, no man’s land can be several miles wide. At others, the Ukrainians and their enemies are close enough to trade shouted insults. In trench warfare, it doesn’t matter how good of a soldier you are, how much you’ve trained, or how many years of combat experience you may possess. In this kind of war, your chances of survival usually just boil down to raw luck.