Before the war with Russia, they were lawyers, engineers or geographers. Today they are fighting in the Donbass. Engaged as volunteers in territorial defence, these young Ukrainian soldiers still want to believe in victory despite the withdrawal of their army here in the Donbass, in the east of the country. At only 26 years old, Maxime commands an infantry platoon. “The front line is my daily life, he says. I need to know how the soldiers are doing, if they are well equipped, if they need medical or psychological help.”
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After taking Severodonetsk, the Russian army is at the gates of Lyssytchansk, the neighboring town where the Ukrainian troops have fallen back. It is the last pocket of resistance in the Luhansk region.
150 km to the south, in the town of Mykolaivka where these volunteer soldiers are buried, on Friday July 1, the Russians are also approaching. They are only a few kilometers away, on the other side of the river, Maxime apprehends: “Of course, it’s complicated… We have lost ground, we will have to regain it, recognizes Maxim. But the hardest part is knowing that it will take a long time.”
“There is fatigue, it’s normal. We’re not on vacation! We’re here to defend our lands.”
Maxime, Ukrainian soldierat franceinfo
Under the attentive gaze of the press officer who accompanies them, these young fighters hold a very polished speech. Picasso, that’s his nickname, nevertheless admits a certain weariness: “I haven’t had leave since the start of the war, for four months. It’s hard. I miss my family. But everything I do here is for them. I already have in mind the list of all the things I’m going to do after the war. The most important thing for me is to come home, see my loved ones again and hug them.”
According to a recent report by the British intelligence services, cases of desertions are increasing every week within the Ukrainian army. Lacking arms and ammunition, faced with heavy human losses, some soldiers are beginning to doubt and wonder how much longer they will be able to resist the advance of the Russians in the Donbass.