Charge of the bike brigade

Petro Kozoriz grieves at the spot where his son Eduard was killed in a Russian missile strike in Pokrovsk. — ©2024 The New York Times Company

THEY first appeared as a cloud of dust on the horizon. A few seconds later, the motorcycles carrying Russian soldiers sped into view, zigzagging across a field, kicking up dust, attempting a noisy, dangerous run at a Ukrainian trench.

“They moved fast, they spread out, and they swerved,” said Lt Mykhailo Hubitsky, describing the Russian motorcycle assault he witnessed. It’s a type of attack that has been proliferating along the front line, adding a wild new element to the already violent, chaotic fighting.