CNN Team Endures 14 Russian Drone Attacks on Ukraine’s Frontline Road
Updated
Updated · CNN · May 18
CNN Team Endures 14 Russian Drone Attacks on Ukraine’s Frontline Road
4 articles · Updated · CNN · May 18
At least 14 Russian drone attacks or close encounters hit a CNN team and Ukrainian escorts during a five-hour walk on the supply route between Druzhkivka and Kostyantynivka.
The road, known as the “Road of Life,” has become a kill zone where troops move mostly on foot, scatter into trees when drones buzz overhead, and rely on gunfire or luck to survive.
Ukrainian soldiers shot down several drones during the trek, while burned-out vehicles along the route showed why armor and fast-moving transport now draw Russian strikes.
Frontline troops emerging from nearby positions looked exhausted after weeks under drone, artillery and infantry assault, with some supplies delivered by a small robotic truck amid Ukraine’s manpower shortage.
The account underscores how drones and improvised countermeasures are reshaping the war in Donbas, helping Ukraine hold ground even as it remains under relentless pressure.
Why are Western defense firms failing to counter cheap drones making their multi-million dollar tanks obsolete?
With data centers now military targets, is the West's digital infrastructure the new undefended 'Road of Life'?