Both the Russians and the Ukrainians are taking advantage of the change in battlefield weather. Fog becomes a key element
A Russian military prepares to launch an FPV drone at a training center of the Central Military District, Photo: Stanislav Krasilnikov / Sputnik / Profimedia
The changing weather on the Ukrainian front created dangerous conditions for both camps, but also brought opportunities. Dense fog limits the use of drones, but both Russian and Ukrainian forces have been able to use it to their advantage, CNN writes in an analysis.
On Friday, Moscow's troops took advantage of low visibility to build a pontoon across the Vovcha River in southern Ukraine, according to the unofficial website DeepState, which monitors developments on the battlefield. They thus managed to pass at least 10 vehicles, which then dispersed in the town of Dachne.
“The fog is very dense and enemy forces continue to build up,” Ukrainian soldier Stanislav Buniatov said on Telegram.
“It's harder for drones to hit you”
In the Donetsk region, fog hampered the drone operations of the two camps in the Pokrovsk city area and added an element of danger to the battlefield.
“The fog in Donbas. It's good to move in the fog because it's harder for the drones to hit you, but it's also hard for us, and everything turns into a kind of backgammon game on this land,” said a Ukrainian soldier in the area.
The fog has helped a Ukrainian assault regiment make raids in recent days in certain areas of Pokrovsk, where Russian forces are present “crossing the railway lines that divide Pokrovsk,” according to military analyst David Axe.
Ukrainian forces typically use surveillance drones to track Russian troop movements, but weather is affecting their capabilities.
“Fog, wind and rain significantly degrade drone operations, allowing Russian infiltration through Ukrainian positions,” analyst Michael Kofman, who recently visited Ukraine, wrote on X on Friday.
The fog also helped the Russians in the Ukrainian region of Zaporozhye, where, according to a statement issued by the Russian Ministry of Defense on Saturday, they occupied the village of Yablukove and two nearby towns.
Also on Saturday, the Ukrainian military reported intense assault operations and massive artillery shelling by the Russians in parts of Zaporozhye and Dnipropetrovsk in southern Ukraine. According to Ukrainian forces, almost 40 clashes took place there in the last day and “enemy losses amounted to almost 300 people and 58 vehicles”.
