A clunky Soviet-designed off-road van, has become a tool of modern warfare for Ukrainian soldiers.
The Bukhanka, the Russian word for a loaf of bread, may be one of the oldest in-production vehicle designs in the world, but a retrofitted version with a modern electronic warfare system is playing a key role in frontline survival in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
Performing its 21st Century call of duty, the vehicle scans the skies for Russian drones, alerting troops of the 68th Jaeger Brigade near Pokrovsk and even intercepting camera feeds being sent back to Russian soldiers.
For Yuriy and other soldiers in his brigade, the van and its technology are a life saver.
“If we can see what the drone sees, we can get out before it hits,” he explains as the van is quickly camouflaged to avoid enemy surveillance or kamikaze drones once it arrives in support of the troops.
The Pokrovsk sector has become one of the hottest war zones along the front line in Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor.
The vehicle travels down a road lined with netting, including overhead, to ward off incoming drones. But the netting offers limited protection.
“You’re lucky none is flying right now,” says Andriy, an artilleryman. “At night, it’s two or three drones overhead, and then glide bombs. It’s a concert starting at 9 p.m.”
Andriy’s story reflects the broader wartime shift many have endured.
Before the full-scale invasion, he worked across Europe, repairing cars in Germany, milking cows in Denmark. After Russia invaded in February 2022, he volunteered to defend Ukraine.
Even after being wounded, he refused to leave his unit. “Here, everything is clear. You know what to do,” he says.
Our interview is interrupted as the brigade receives an order to fire. A short circuit delays the self-propelled artillery system, but the crew resolves it in minutes, fires on the target, and immediately moves to a shelter to wait for the likely Russian response.
According to Ukraine’s General Staff, Pokrovsk is currently experiencing the most intense Russian assault activity of any frontline sector.
“Firing is one thing, return fire? That’s when it gets intense,” says one soldier.
The Bukhanka may have been around since 1965, but it arrived just in time for Yuriy, Andriy, and their Ukrainian colleagues.
