BAHMUT Sasha guarding the horizon. He is ready to destroy Russian fighters. The hardest battles of the war take place a couple of kilometers away in Bahmut.
Sasha joined the army a year ago when Russia fired at his hometown Kramatorsk. Factory work changed to anti-aircraft.
Since then, the American Stinger gun has become popular.
Sasha shows how he puts the gun into working order in an instant and rushes to the positions.
– With these we destroy enemy fighters, helicopters and, for example, Orlan drones, says Sasha.
The main task of the Kramatorsk border troops is the defense of the road from Bahmut to Slovyansk.
If the Russians manage to break through in Bahmut, a defense line awaits them just outside the city. Ukraine has built there, for example, concrete bunkers with machine guns and anti-tank weapons.
Russia’s goal is to occupy the entire Donetsk region. That’s why this particular highway is critical.
There are no alternatives to defending Bahmut
Unit commander Serhi says that the battle for Bahmut is heavy. Ukrainians fall in a defensive battle, but according to him, there are no alternatives.
– If we don’t defend ourselves here, then where?
The commander has mixed feelings about the battles. Many Ukrainians fall and get wounded in Bahmut, but in the endgame, he says he trusts the political and military leadership.
– They have more information than I do, says the commander.
If Ukraine loses Bahmut and the surrounding hills, there is a risk that Russia will break deep into Ukraine.
Serhi confirms reports of Russia’s stealth attack. Russian soldiers are being sent with a continuous supply towards the Ukrainian positions in Bahmut. They are lightly armed, and the attacks continue in the same way all the time.
– The Russians are destroying their own. They treat them like meat, says the commander.
– Again and again they crawl from the same places, and our soldiers destroy them. This may continue for four or five days. They don’t even change tactics. There are a lot of them, but our troops know how to defend themselves effectively.
The biggest problem for Ukraine in Bahmut and many other places is the Russian artillery. Defense is heavy because of that. The commander admits it, and it clearly touches him too. Many pay with their lives.
The most pressing problem is the scarcity of ammunition and armament.
– The situation is difficult, but tolerable. We can push them out, but we need weapons to do that.
Russia is encircling Bahmut from three directions
The battle for Bahmut has been going on since last summer. Over the past couple of months, Russia has advanced and is encircling the city from three directions.
Russia is also attacking from many other directions in Donbas, but the battles in Bahmut are the hardest.
The fate of the city is still completely open. The Ukrainian leadership has vowed to defend Bahmut.
From the hills on the north side of Bahmut, the Ukrainian artillery was mauling the Russians. The rumble of war a couple of kilometers from the city is continuous.
There are several new bunkers. There are also anti-tank weapons all the way along the front.
Soviet-era armament
Still, much of the armament is still from the Soviet Union. This unit has, for example, the Fagot anti-tank weapon. It was manufactured in the Soviet Union from the beginning of the 1970s.
Heavy machine guns are from the same era. Such has been installed, for example, on the roof of a light military vehicle. The vehicle is a Toyota Landcruiser armored in Ukraine.
The pods also carry modern NLAW anti-tank weapons.
56 years old Eduard is responsible for a ten-member anti-tank team. He joined the war already in 2014.
– It’s hard when the enemy attacks your country. Especially when you have a family you want to live for, says Eduard.
Before the war, he worked in the Ministry of Transport of Ukraine. That life has been left behind.
– We Ukrainians are a peaceful nation. We don’t interfere in other people’s affairs. We want to live in peace, like in the EU, but here in our own country, says Eduard thoughtfully.
– In my opinion, the person in power in Russia has an unhealthy situation in his head. He wanted to be Tsar, but…
There is water and mud in the trenches
Spring has come early. The endless trenches have water in places. There is mud everywhere. Still, the situation is better than a week ago. It hasn’t rained in the last few days.
But whenever it rains, there are problems. Trenches can collapse. That is why they must be supported.
– There is also a shortage of timber. We need it to support the trenches, says one soldier who remains anonymous.
Many of those here have been in the forces for almost a year. There are still no signs of giving up.
Read the latest news about Russia’s war of aggression in this article