Russian soldiers on motorbikes speed across dirt fields, kicking up plumes of dust as artillery shells slam into the earth around them.

These kamikaze-style assaults, backed by drones overhead, have become a hallmark of Moscow’s grinding advance at the junction of Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts.

The modern-day cavalry charges mark a shift from the early days of the full-scale invasion, when heavy armor was vital. The battlefield now is characterized by relentless rounds of drone fire, close-contact infantry fighting, and suicidal assaults. In this part of the front, both Russian and Ukrainian drones dominate the skies, turning a 10-15km (6-10 mile) zone near the zero line into a deadly kill zone.

For Ukraine, the frontline is also a constant test of endurance and ingenuity against a

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