Thunderous explosions shook the ground as the Ukrainian crew prepared to maneuver the American-made Bradley Fighting Vehicle out of camouflage and back into the fire.
The team’s commander, a sergeant with the call sign Lawyer, nervously scanned the sky. “If we are spotted, the KABs will come,” he said, referring to the 1-ton bombs Russia has used to target Ukraine’s most valuable armor and defenses.
What had begun as a minor Russian attack on the small town of Ocheretyne grew into a substantial breakthrough, threatening to disrupt Ukrainian lines across a wide swath of the Eastern Front. The crew’s mission was to help contain the breach: protect outgunned and outgunned infantry soldiers, evacuate the wounded, and use the Bradley’s powerful 25mm cannon against as many Russians as possible.
