Thunderous explosions shook the ground as the Ukrainian crew prepared to maneuver its American-made Bradley Fighting Vehicle out of camouflage and, once again, into the fire.
The commander of the team, a sergeant with the call sign Lawyer, nervously scanned the sky. "If we are seen, the KABs will come," he said, referring to the 1-ton bombs Russia has been using to target Ukraine’s most valuable armor and defenses.
What had started as a small Russian thrust into the tiny town of Ocheretyne was growing into a substantial breakthrough, threatening to unhinge the Ukrainian lines across a broad stretch of the eastern front. The crew’s mission was to help contain the breach: protect outmanned and outgunned infantry soldiers, evacuate the wounded and use the Bradley’s powerful 25 mm cannon against as many Russians as possible.