The cycle of war in Ukraine's south: drones, bombs, silence, death

POSAD POKROVSKE, Ukraine — With an overcast sky offering a break from the ever-watchful eyes of Russian drones and the artillery barrages that often follow, a young Ukrainian soldier joined his squad for a bit of fresh air on the patio of what had been a cultural center.

"When it's good weather the Russians can correct their targeting with the drones," said Nesquik, a 26-year-old with the smooth face of a boy whose nickname comes from a chocolate drink. "Today, they're just shooting where they think the targets are — they have artillery to spare."

The thud of explosions rumbled somewhere in the distance.

You hear little else in Posad Pokrovske, a farming hamlet in southern Ukraine transformed into a tableau of destruction: Houses with gap-toothed roofs or entire wings gutted by artillery. A starving pig trotting down a crater-riddled street searching