Load. Fire. Go to cover page.

In a single image Loading. Fire. Go to cover page. By Tyler Hicks

Now was not the time to dwell.

In a wooded area on the front line of the Donbass region, Ukrainian soldiers emerged from their concealment to bomb Russian forces. These spent loads littering the forest floor tell the story.

Earlier in the morning, Ukrainian drones had spotted bunkers and other targets on Russian positions beyond the tree line. The soldiers prepared a recoilless rifle and got to work.

The net on their helmets helped them hide. of the enemy. The green stripe was a quick way for other Ukrainian soldiers to recognize them as comrades.

With the targets being out of sight beyond the trees, the soldiers could not immediately be sure what they had hit. But after firing a half-dozen shells, and as the chances of a Russian response increased, one thing was clear: It was time to go.

By Tyler Hicks

“Today the situation is very bad. »

For weeks, this forest in the Donbass region has been quite calm, but this morning, with the Russian offensive, the situation heated up again , said a Ukrainian deputy commander named Yevgen who escorted the New York Times reporters.

It was August 9, and the soldiers of the 95th Assault Brigade aerial were set up under pine trees which, in more peaceful times, might have been more likely to shade mushroom hunters than men in camouflage.

L he outpost that day was a swarm of activity. New soldiers arrived and others left. There was a constant stream of artillery and mortar shells.

Then the orders came and several Ukrainian soldiers moved towards their SPG recoilless rifle -9. The weapon, which looks more like a rocket launcher than a rifle, fires shells at high speed towards targets thousands of meters or more away.

As the men worked, the forest air was pierced by the sounds of radio chatter, soldiers shouting among themselves, and the roar of incoming and outgoing gunfire.