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 largely frozen during winter months, matching the frigid weather, Ukrainian forces have turned much of their focus to protecting civilian infrastructure in densely populated urban areas.