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https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/ukraines-next-battlefield-foe-bad-weather-212a5f94

Ukraine’s Next Battlefield Foe: Bad Weather

Drenching rain and icy cold could impede Ukraine’s chance of exploiting an eventual breakthrough

Ukraine’s front-line troops, such as those in the trenches near the eastern city of Bakhmut, face frigid temperatures in the months ahead. LIBKOS/Associated Press

By Isabel Coles

and Daniel Michaels

Updated Sept. 17, 2023 12:01 am ET

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine—For Ukrainian soldiers struggling to make headway against entrenched Russian troops, the counteroffensive is taking on a new urgency as summer gives way to shorter days, drenching rain and then snow.

Both Ukrainians and Russians are accustomed to biting cold, and the war has churned on during two winters, so ground troops won’t abandon the battlefield anytime soon. But relentless downpours can dissolve roads, and icy weather complicates basic operations from loading artillery shells to pulling a trigger.