Dense fog and bad weather in Ukraine are degrading drone surveillance and changing frontline tactics, creating openings for both Russian and Ukrainian forces. Russians reportedly used low visibility to build a pontoon across the Vovcha river and move at least 10 vehicles into Dachne, while fog has enabled raids and unexpected firefights around Pokrovsk. Kyiv reported nearly 40 clashes, claimed about 300 enemy casualties and 58 vehicles lost, and said forces withdrew from one village to stronger defensive positions. Russian troops are reported to be roughly 90 km from Zaporizhzhia city and within 10 km of Huliaipole, where civilian evacuations continue.
Fog of War: How Thick Mist Is Reshaping Tactics on Ukraine’s Front Lines
Dense fog and bad weather in Ukraine are degrading drone surveillance and changing frontline tactics, creating openings for both Russian and Ukrainian forces. Russians reportedly used low visibility to build a pontoon across the Vovcha river and move at least 10 vehicles into Dachne, while fog has enabled raids and unexpected firefights around Pokrovsk. Kyiv reported nearly 40 clashes, claimed about 300 enemy casualties and 58 vehicles lost, and said forces withdrew from one village to stronger defensive positions. Russian troops are reported to be roughly 90 km from Zaporizhzhia city and within 10 km of Huliaipole, where civilian evacuations continue.
07:42 AM, 11/16/2025Conflict
Fog of war: Weather becomes a tactical factor on Ukraine’s battlefields
On Ukraine’s front lines, shifting weather — especially dense fog — is creating hazardous conditions but also opening fresh tactical opportunities for both sides. Reduced visibility has limited drone surveillance, altered movement patterns and contributed to unexpected clashes across several contested regions.
Pontoon crossing near Vovcha: On Friday, Russian units reportedly used the poor visibility to erect a pontoon bridge over the Vovcha river in southern Ukraine, according to the unofficial battlefield-monitoring site DeepState. DeepState said at least 10 vehicles crossed the pontoon and dispersed into the village of Dachne.
“The fog is very thick, and enemy forces continue to accumulate,” Ukrainian soldier Stanislav Buniatov wrote on Telegram.
Fog and drone operations: Thick fog has disrupted drone missions for both Russian and Ukrainian forces, particularly around the contested town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk. A Ukrainian fighter described the situation as turning into a form of "backgammon," where fog makes movement safer from aerial detection but also increases overall uncertainty on the ground.
Military analysts and participants report that the poor weather has had mixed effects: it has allowed Ukrainian assault units to carry out raids into parts of Pokrovsk and enabled firefights to erupt in unexpected locations, while also creating opportunities for Russian forces to probe and advance where overhead surveillance is degraded.
Expert observations: Ukrainian drone operator Yevhen Strokan noted on X that “firefights are breaking out in the most unexpected places (especially after fog).” Analyst Michael Kofman, who recently visited Ukraine, warned on X that “fog, wind and rain significantly degrade drone operations, enabling Russian infiltration through Ukrainian positions.” Military analyst David Axe wrote on his Substack that these gaps in overhead surveillance "only intensify the confusion" along a porous and fluid frontline.
Fighting in the south: Weather factors have coincided with intensified ground fighting in southern regions. The Russian defence ministry said on Saturday it had seized the village of Yablukove and two nearby settlements in Zaporizhzhia. Kyiv reported intense assaults and heavy artillery strikes across parts of Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
Over the past day, Ukrainian authorities reported nearly 40 clashes and claimed roughly 300 enemy casualties and the loss of 58 vehicles. Ukrainian units were withdrawn from at least one village in Zaporizhzhia to positions deemed more favourable for defence.
Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said the situation in parts of the south had "significantly deteriorated," accusing Russian forces of exploiting numerical superiority to capture three villages. Russian troops are reportedly about 90 kilometres (55 miles) from the regional capital Zaporizhzhia and within 10 kilometres of the town of Huliaipole, a long-standing objective for Moscow.
The military administration in Huliaipole said another 34 civilians were evacuated on Friday, noting: "There is danger at every turn, but people are risking their own lives to help with the evacuation."
What this means
Weather-driven limits on drone surveillance are reshaping how engagements are fought: commanders on both sides are adapting tactics to exploit low visibility, whether to infiltrate, raid, withdraw or evacuate. The fog does not determine outcomes by itself, but it is a significant and unpredictable factor in the current phase of the conflict.