Surviving on a perpetual frontline in the Ukraine war

The town of Niu-York in Ukraine’s Donetsk region is home to what commanders say is a rarity, writes Alex Horton: a frontline that has more or less stayed the same since 2014

Ukrainian soldiers from the 24th Separate Mechanised Brigade use a US-made M240 machine gun to shoot towards Russian positions (Photo for The Washington Post by Heidi Levine)

The Russian jet cuts a path through the tributaries of the Donbas hills, flying low to avoid detection, as a Ukrainian soldier juggles three unruly kittens in his meaty palms.

It is half of a litter, explains the soldier, who goes by the call sign Yarik, as their mother prowls the edge of a dugout. Within minutes, the enemy Su-25 fires a missile, striking a position about 300 metres away with a thunderous crack.