It was the dead of night, and the Ukrainian infantryman was writhing in a tree line from serious injuries to his legs, shoulder and lung.

His unit had told him by radio that they could not send anyone to evacuate him. The road to their base in the nearby city of Kostiantynivka had become a kill zone. “There were too many drones flying around,” recalled the infantryman, Oleh Chausov, as he described the experience.

Instead, he was told, the brigade would try to get him out with a small, robot-like tracked vehicle remotely operated from miles away and less visible to Russian drones than an armored carrier.

When the vehicle arrived, Mr. Chausov dragged himself aboard, his wounded legs dangling. But within 20 minutes, the vehicle hit a mine and blew up, he said. Miraculously, Mr. Chausov survived, crawled out and took shelter in a nearby trench.

Even miles from the front line, anything that moves in eastern Ukraine is a target.

That’s because as Russia’s summer offensive gains momentum, it is increasingly relying on drones of all kinds to gain control over Ukraine’s territory.

Under attack by drones, Ukrainian soldiers are struggling to maintain supply lines around the towns of Kostiantynivka, Pokrovsk and Kupiansk. There is greater peril for civilians remaining in their homes, and for the humanitarian groups trying to evacuate them. Some Russian drones strike at ranges up to 24 miles.

Senior Lt. Yevhen Alkhimov, a spokesman for the 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade, said movement to and from positions now posed the greatest risk for his soldiers. Nightfall brought no safety because more Russian drones had thermal imaging cameras. Once at the actual bunkers and trenches on the front, “it is usually possible to work,” he said.

Russia’s summer offensive in Ukraine is gaining ground as its forces attack on multiple fronts. In June, the country’s numerical advantages in troops and air power produced its biggest monthly gains in territory since the beginning of the year.

Russia’s aims are not simply territorial. Analysts say it wants to methodically destroy the Ukrainian military, as Moscow slowly advances its own troops. The biggest challenge for Moscow may be far from the front lines, as the Russian economy can no longer keep pace with escalating military spending.

For Ukraine, its ability to sustain the war may also be decided far away, as the Trump administration sends mixed signals about its desire and ability to continue arming Kyiv’s forces. Last week, President Trump said that NATO countries would buy weapons from the United States to give to Ukraine.

Russia has launched its most aggressive wave of assaults in Ukraine in months and made its fastest territorial gains since late 2024, according to Ukrainian analysts and Western intelligence sources.

The Russian military averaged nearly 184 assaults per day in May, a 19% increase over April, the Ukrainian open-source intelligence group Deep State reported.

The number of days when Russian troops conducted over 190 assaults — often referred to as “meat grinder” attacks for their high casualty rates — surged from just two in April to 13 in May.

The most intense fighting was observed on May 4, when Russian forces launched 269 assault operations in a single day, Deep State said.

The renewed offensive efforts came as President Vladimir Putin called for the creation of a “buffer zone” along Russia’s border with Ukraine.

It also followed Moscow and Kyiv’s May 16 peace talks in Istanbul, where Russian negotiators reportedly threatened to seek to seize Ukraine’s Sumy and Kharkiv regions if Kyiv did not withdraw from the four Ukrainian regions Russia claims as its own.

Last week, The New York Times cited U.S. and Ukrainian officials as saying that despite the renewed diplomatic engagement between the two sides, Moscow had effectively launched a summer offensive and was advancing at its fastest pace since November 2024.

Deep State estimates that Russian forces are now capturing an average of 14 square kilometers per day, twice as much as in April.

Much of that progress has come in eastern Ukraine, particularly in the Donetsk region, roughly 70% of which is now under Russian control and where Russian troops continue to push toward the strategic city of Pokrovsk.