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In the 'gray zone' outside Kherson, Ukraine's soldiers pay a terrible price
NEAR KHERSON, Ukraine â On a hot summer afternoon, NPR was interviewing soldiers near the front lines northeast of Kherson, when something happened that shows how perilous this sprawling combat zone can be.
Two Ukrainian fighters, who identified themselves only by their first names, Viktor and Serhiy, said they had detected a Russian drone overhead.
We were in a dense stand of forest, sheltered by the tree canopy. But the drone was apparently watching our location, possibly sharing our position with Russian artillery or other units.
"It's hovering above us as we speak," Viktor said. "It's nearby, while we are here. It's gonna fly away and then we can go back."
It was a terrifying moment. For the first time, we felt some part of the fear experienced every day by thousands of Ukrainian soldiers since Russia's invasion.
