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NEWS

Ukrainian soldiers from Khartia concentrate with their drones on holding back Russian advances and prepare for the approaching storm from the US

Updated

Up to 12,000 North Korean troops have been sent to the border region of Kursk in Russia to assist in repelling Ukrainian forces

Soldiers from the Khartia brigade control the flight of a drone from their 'airbnb.'
Soldiers from the Khartia brigade control the flight of a drone from their 'airbnb.'AP

The four drones were designed to carry bombs, but instead, the men from the Ukrainian Khartia brigade load them with food, water, and hand warmers, and launch them in the darkness towards the front line, a 15-minute flight.

The unit commander, using the code name "Kit" or "Cat," pilots the small unmanned aircraft from a basement room that he jokingly calls his Airbnb. Guided by the drone's night vision camera, he drops the 10-kilo packages one by one as close as possible to the position where up to five soldiers are fighting Russian forces in the cold late autumn. The delivery will sustain them for two or three days.

That's as far as Kit dares to look into the future. He knows that the re-election of Donald Trump will change something in his life, but as far as he and other Ukrainian soldiers on the front line are concerned, he tries to figure out what the game is for politicians. For him, the only thing that matters is the distance the Russian forces advance or retreat in the sector of the front line that is his responsibility.

"We are trying with all our might to destroy them and reclaim our territories, so they do not advance further, so there are no more destroyed cities and destroyed lives," said Kit. "We need to focus on the present in our work and try to do it effectively here and now."

But he cannot escape the feeling of an approaching storm.

Russia is increasingly hitting the Kharkiv region with unstoppable gliding bombs that level buildings and swarms of drones, and is ravaging the territory there. Their troops are advancing in the regions of Donetsk and Zaporizhia. Up to 12,000 North Korean troops have been sent to the border region of Kursk in Russia to help repel Ukrainian forces, according to intelligence assessments from the US, South Korea, and Ukraine.

Trump, who has called President Vladimir Putin "pretty smart" for invading Ukraine, has repeatedly criticized US support for Ukraine. He characterized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as "the world's best salesman" for getting aid from the US.

Zelensky was one of the first world leaders to publicly congratulate Trump, and said they discussed how to end the "Russian aggression against Ukraine" when they met in September.

Between now and Trump's inauguration on January 20, the Biden administration has said it will send as much aid as possible to Ukraine to help hold back Russian forces and have a strong hand in any potential peace negotiations. But Russia is pushing just as hard for an advantage in what most believe are crucial weeks to come.

Aviator, a soldier from Khartia who launches the supply drones, said he can only do his job and hope for the best. His focus is on how many hours are left before dawn, when Russian forces could detect the unmanned aircraft and shoot it down. If his mission fails, he knows that the men he calls brothers will suffer.

"You feel that you are useful, that you are in the right place, that the lives and health of our brothers depend on your work," said Aviator, who returned to Ukraine from Poland to join the army. "We are just doing our job, we don't have time to worry about the elections."

Tolstiy, who runs a drone repair workshop not far away, knows firsthand what happens to territory captured by Russia. A former infantry soldier, he fought in Bakhmut and saw the city fall to Russian forces who bombed it into ruins. He admitted that sometimes, reading the news makes him want to give up. But that is simply unthinkable.

"It's as if we are in another world here," he said. "When you see your comrades wounded or dead, it motivates you."