BERYSLAV, Ukraine — The Ukrainian soldiers sped along a dirt road, their pickup truck bouncing over ruts, lest they become an easy target for Russian tanks across the Dnieper River.
Nearby, Russian howitzers fired with deafening booms, sending shells streaking over the ruins of the Kakhovka dam, the destruction of which this week unleashed a flood with far-reaching humanitarian and economic consequences. As Ukraine reckons with the devastation, its military must also fight in the flood zone, adjusting and adapting to the changing contours of the land to meet its broader strategic goals.