in the trenches of Donbass, Ukrainian soldiers “determined” to counter a Russian offensive

We had to cross a deserted town from Donbassin eastern Ukraine. The facades bear the traces of bombardments and artillery fire. In the fields, holes were left by the shells. The way is opened to us by the local commander. At the exit of the village, nothing indicates the Ukrainian position. Except this soldier, walkie-talkie in hand, coming to get us. We go down with him into the trench. A tarp to shelter from the rain, a sack of potatoes, camp beds behind another tarp… “This is our position. We live here, this is our home”, explains Struna, his gaze piercing under his khaki beanie.

>> 43rd day of war in Ukraine: follow our live

“Every day they shoot closer and closer and more accurate, continues Struna. We wait, we stand guard, we watch. We listen, we watch… It itches us. We must beat them! Beat them and drive them away!” Stalker emerges from the trench. It is he who commands the unit. His men are positioned high up, on the lookout. We are on the edge of the occupied zone, Thursday April 7, where Vladimir Putin’s army is now concentrating its forces. The Russians are trying to make a breakthrough here, Stalker explains, to cut Donbass off from the rest of Ukraine. And the shooting intensifies: “Regular fire with different calibers, Grad missiles, 152 caliber heavy artillery, they fire from their tanks.”

“They throw phosphorus bombs, when they explode it’s like fairy lights. It’s not very pleasant…”

Stalker, Ukrainian unit leader

at franceinfo

Concentrations of enemy troops have been reported to them not far away by local inhabitants who inform them at their own risk: “What they tell us, says Stalker, is that they line people up against the wall. They take aim at them and threaten to kill them. They take their phones, they accuse them of guiding our strikes and of be our informants.”

He comes from Berdiasnk, under Russian occupation, with its procession of abuses. “These young girls who disappear… he says. We don’t even know where to look for them.” He finds it difficult to hide his hatred of Russians. “I don’t know how it’s going to be but we’re determined to get them out, insists Stalker. The sooner the better. I wouldn’t want our whole country to become like Donbass. We want to be in Europe.”

As we talk to this unit chief, his men are getting impatient, we have to leave. One last message. “We need weapons! Anti-tank missiles, Javelins, Stingers… We have them, but not enough,” pleads Stalker. The head of Ukrainian diplomacy himself once again asked NATO on Thursday – of which Ukraine is not a part – to quickly provide him with all the weapons necessary to counter the advance of the Russian army.