Ukrainian servicemen of the 14th Brigade, that take part in fights against Russian troops along the Oskil River, check military vehicles in an undisclosed location in the Kharkiv region, on December 17, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Oskil river, which winds into Ukraine's Kharkiv region from Russia, is swept by icy winds and surrounded by expansive snow-blanketed fields dotted with Ukrainian bunkers and zig-zagging trenches. Russian forces crossed it quickly and easily when they invaded in 2022 but were beaten back months later in a rout that embarrassed the Kremlin, but its forces are now sweeping back. (Photo by Roman PILIPEY / AFP)