With winter approaching, Ukraine prepares to fight on frozen ground

A group of Ukrainian soldiers from the Territorial Defense load a rocket under the cover of trees in Kherson Region in October. The approaching winter may force a change in tactics, Ukrainian military units and Western military analysts say. (Claire Harbage/NPR)

KHERSON REGION, Ukraine — They load the rockets in a grove of trees, under the cover of yellowing leaves. One by one, they're lifted from the back of a still-running pickup and slid into the launcher welded to the bed of a neighboring pickup.

A group of Russian soldiers has been spotted hiding in a tree line on the west bank of the Dnipro River about 5 miles to the south. The rockets are intended for them.