A Ukrainian soldier in northern Donbass – BFMTV
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Will the battle for eastern Ukraine escalate, as Kyiv fears? While the Russian army is regrouping its forces in Donbass and Lugansk and causing the residents of these two regions to flee, Ukrainian soldiers are actively preparing. North of Kramatorsk, near Sviatohirsk, fighters gathered at the front say they are better prepared than ever.
An artillery unit that BFMTV was able to follow is under constant attack by the Russian army. And the Ukrainians are fighting back with cannons capable of firing shells ten kilometers away.
“We target the columns, the fortifications and their tanks when we see them appear. We fire a dozen shells, then we change position and start again from a different location,” explains Macksym, a Ukrainian soldier. 876450610001_6304260370001
“Yes, the Russians have more heavy equipment, but…”
Even if the enemy isn’t far away, the fight is mainly through interposed artillery fire. In a war that is expected to continue, every ammunition counts in the hope of gaining an advantage and gaining ground.
“The Russians dropped 500 grenades in a village … which we took back! That’s enough for our handguns for a week,” Macksym said happily.
The fights are intense. But these soldiers say they rely on their experience from the eight-year war in Donbass. “Yes, the Russians have more heavy equipment, but that’s how it started in 2014. And then it became an artillery war.”
A war that Moscow-backed pro-Russian separatists have yet to win. At the beginning of a decisive battle, all is not lost for the Ukrainians. But the loss of Donbass and strategic cities in the east of the country like Mariupol or Kramatorsk could be a turning point in this conflict.
Original article published on BFMTV.com