What innovations did Ukrainian soldiers come up with at the front to stop the enemy's advance?

As Le Monde writes, there is no hope for peace.

The authors describe how Ukrainian engineering units are building a broad line of fortifications and obstacles in the Dnipropetrivsk region that stretches hundreds of kilometres along the frontline, but 35 kilometres from the Russian forward positions.

The new defence line leaves marks on the vast snow-covered countryside like a wound. Several rows of barbed wire, anti-personnel traps and anti-tank ditches are 120 metres wide. A few dozen metres further on, hidden under a hedge of trees, lies a second line of trenches and underground fortifications where Ukrainian soldiers are preparing to hold off the Russian invaders with fire," Le Monde writes.

The sheer scale of the project reflects the conviction of the AFU General Staff that Moscow does not intend to stop its aggression anytime soon, UNIAN quoted the publication as saying.

Another five or ten years of war awaits us until the Russians find some other bone to gnaw on. Putin will be stopped not by some so-called peace agreement or ceasefire, but by brute force. The collapse of Russia or the collapse of the regime," a representative of the State Special Transport Service, which is involved in the construction work, told the publication.

The authors of the publication note that although the Russian advance is taking place at the slowest pace in history and is costing the aggressor huge losses, the Ukrainian Defence Forces are still unable to stop it.

The Ukrainian army faces a shortage of infantry to close the gaps in the front, and lacks long-range air defence capabilities to keep out Russian attack aircraft that would destroy the defenders' fortified positions with guided bombs.

Our answer is to build positions that are buried deeper and better camouflaged, said Senior Lieutenant Volodymyr, 23, chief engineer at the forward command post.

A good tool for defence has been the so-called MPPs (low-profile obstacles) - a kind of "mat" placed in front of the barbed wire, woven from metal wire and partially covered with snow.

Once you step inside, it's impossible to get out, Volodymyr explained.

The engineering obstacles are reinforced with anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, which finally turns the obstacle course into a death trap for the occupants.

Behind the wide strip of these obstacles is the second element of the defence system - camouflaged and fortified infantry positions. A key innovation compared to the early part of the war is that all trenches must now be covered with a thick layer of soil on top to protect against drones and bombs.

Such trenches are connected to underground living quarters reinforced with reinforced concrete walls.

The defensive position must also necessarily be located on a supply route protected by vegetation, the officer added.

According to Le Monde, carrying out this construction work is complicated by a complex set of problems. In addition to the fact that Russian drones are constantly trying to attack construction workers 20 kilometres from the front, Ukrainian engineering units are severely under-resourced.

We have only a tenth of the human and material resources needed to properly construct the reserve positions, admitted a military officer with whom the journalists spoke.

In addition, as the publication notes, sometimes the Corps of Engineers finds itself on the front line, closing gaps and stabilising the front. This is what happened, for example, at some sites near Gulyaypol and Stepnogorsk in Zaporizhzhya Region.