One day a Russian soldier is worth 2 points, the next day he is worth 4: War in Ukraine, a deadly video game

REPORT – In Donbas, the war has turned into a game of slaughter, where drones reign supreme and every Russian soldier killed earns points.

The road from Izyum to Kramatorsk is protected by anti-drone nets due to constant attacks by Russian troops on this route during the offensive in Donbas. The green nets were donated by French fishermen.

Everything looks threatening. The sky, the clouds, the fields, the ruins. Even the trees have the faces of traitors. From Izyum to Kramatorsk, the departmental road, protected by more than forty kilometers of nets suspended on stakes, is frightening. A sign warns travelers: “Caution, dangerous zone, FPV drone threat.” These drones, equipped with cameras that allow the pilot to pounce on their prey, regularly attack this strip of asphalt. The artery, along which the Ukrainian army transported people and equipment to the Donbas front, runs along the battlefield and comes as close as possible to it, about fifteen kilometers away. Sometimes black spots appear on the asphalt — the remains of vehicles destroyed in recent weeks. They are piled up on the side of the road on the outskirts of Izyum, still marked by the destruction of the first year of the war, while men cover the city with nets. You have to drive at full speed, gritting your teeth and praying that you won’t become the next stain.

The war is changing at full speed. Two months ago, this idyllic road was safe and crossed a landscape of forests, fields, and villages that were destroyed in the first year of the Russian offensive. The front line has barely moved since the end of summer. But the drones have laid their eggs. They infest the sky and even the ground. And the soldiers who command them are redoubling their efforts. Because war has also become a game. A mix between Squid Game and Fortnite, applied to the dirt of real battles. On the Ukrainian side, since August 2024, as part of the “Army of Drones” project, every Russian soldier killed, every drone shot down, every armored vehicle destroyed earns points, and the restored brigades try to earn as many points as possible.

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