Ukrainian troops describe painstaking trek to the deadly front-line “zero line”

Ukrainian forces refer to the forward edge of the front line as the zero line, a zone where troops are closest to Russian positions and must move with extreme caution. According to a battery sergeant identified by the call sign Yankee, every 200 metres of advance requires precise coordination to prevent accidental friendly fire and to secure protective cover. The sky over the zero line is crowded with both surveillance and attack drones, and hostile units frequently launch infiltration attempts, turning a 300-metre shift into a potentially lethal maneuver.

Weather conditions and electronic-warfare support often dictate when soldiers can move, sometimes causing delays of up to a week. Yankee, who operates shoulder-launched air-defense missiles, discussed these hardships while participating in Operation Legio, a Norway-sponsored training program held in Poland. Ukrainian leaders describe the surrounding area as a kill zone extending up to 50 kilometres, a “death zone” that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says is devastated by drones, and deputy defence minister Oleksiy Vyskub warns it may double in size this year. To improve safety, the Ukrainian military is deploying the Delta online battlefield management system to give units a shared view of the battlefield and reduce confusion.