利奥夫·斯图普尼科夫中尉将卡车开到乌克兰东部一片田野的边缘，随后一支由高级俄罗斯陆军官员组成的车队驶来，他们前来观察前线附近的一次训练演习。
Lt. Lev Stupnikov pulled his truck up to the edge of a field in eastern Ukraine on a frigid February morning, followed by a convoy of senior Russian army officials coming to observe a training exercise near the front line.
连续几天，俄罗斯步兵、医护人员和军官一直在这片冻土上进行演练，为对附近城市武赫勒达尔的进攻做准备。唯一的掩护是一排光秃秃的树木。
For several consecutive days, Russian infantrymen, medics and officers had been drilling on the frozen mud, preparing for an offensive on the nearby city of Vuhledar. The only cover was a line of bare trees.
斯图普尼科夫走向一群等待的士兵，拍了一张照片，并将手机紧贴胸前以避免引起注意。随后他快速敲出一条信息：“这里应该有120到150名士兵。”斯图普尼科夫是俄罗斯圣彼得堡一所著名军事学院的应届毕业生，他有一个秘密。就在上个月，他开始秘密地向乌克兰情报部门提供信息。他已经将该田野的确切坐标告诉了他的联络人。
Stupnikov approached a group of waiting soldiers and snapped a photo, keeping his cellphone close to his chest to avoid drawing attention. Then he quickly tapped out a message: “There must be between 120 and 150 men here.”Stupnikov, a recent graduate from a prestigious military academy in St. Petersburg, Russia, had a secret. Earlier that month, he had begun covertly sharing information with Ukrainian intelligence. He had already given his contact the exact coordinates of the field.
如今，随着数十名俄罗斯士兵及其指挥官聚集在此地，斯图普尼科夫只有片刻时间脱离火力范围。
Now, with scores of Russian soldiers and their commanding officers gathered there, Stupnikov would have only moments to move out of the line of fire.