Ukraine has largely weathered Russia's power-grid attacks — but is bracing for more

KYIV REGION, Ukraine — In a blustery, knife-edge wind on the banks of the Dnipro River, a burly Ukrainian army major — who aptly goes by the military call sign Bison — guffawed at the notion that cold and tedium presented a hardship for air-defense crews guarding against incoming Russian drones and missiles.

"Twenty-four hours of sitting in the snow and waiting — that beats an hour under shelling any time!" said the 35-year-old officer, who oversees a battery of vehicle-mounted Stinger missiles about 25 miles outside the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

With the war's southern and eastern front lines , matching the frigid weather, Ukrainian forces have