The Big Story: Russia/Ukraine

The cold front ‘We are ready for whatever happens' | On the precipice Why Russia is so keen to flex its military muscles | Vladimir Putin is a ‘rogue male’ whose wild rampaging must be stopped

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In Chonhar, a blue and yellow flag marks the de facto border as Russian forces amass across a shimmering expanse of water

By Luke Harding

Peering through binoculars, Mykola Chekman pointed to the bridge connecting Ukraine to Russian-controlled Crimea. “It’s not the first time the peninsula has been occupied,” he observed. He added: “Crimea has seen a lot of war.”

Chekman – a Ukrainian army photographer – was standing on the castellated tower of what was once a tourist cafe. It is now a base for Ukrainian forces, facing off against their invisible Russian counterparts across a shimmering expanse of water and duck-filled lagoons.

The abandoned building is situated in the village of Chonhar in Ukraine’s southern Kherson province. A Ukrainian checkpoint with a blue and yellow flag marks the de facto border with what Moscow considers to be Russia, a ragged group of houses over the bridge.

In the east of the country, Russian-backed separatists regularly lob grenades and shoot at their Ukrainian adversaries. The Chonhar frontline, by contrast, is tranquil. A handful of civilians arrive in a white minivan and cross the last section on foot, rolling small cases.

Despite this apparent normality, Kyiv is taking no chances. Soldiers stand guard in a network of trenches reinforced with wooden pallets. They peer at the enemy through letter box-style positions, guns at the ready. For now, the only intruder is a ball of tumbleweed. A cold wind blows.