bleak future
Ukraine thrown into war's bleak future as drones open new battlefront
The black box sits on the army truck dashboard like a talisman, its tiny screen lighting up with warnings when Russian drones are above us. We are driving fast along a country road in the darkness near the front lines outside Kharkiv. Like many in this war, the soldiers inside have come to revere the little cube they call "sugar"; it warns of the unseen dangers above. On the vehicle's roof are three mushroom-shaped antennas that make up separate drone-jamming equipment. The car emits an invisible aura of protection that will thwart some, but not all, of the Russian attack drones patrolling the skies above this battlefield.