Burnt forests and cities burned down. A colleague with a severed limb. For a very relentless bombing, the only option is to lie in a pit, wait and pray.
Ukrainian soldiers returning from the forefront of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, where Russia is launching a fierce attack, describe life as apocalyptic when it turns into a fierce exhaustion war. increase.
In an interview with The Associated Press, some complained about the chaotic organization, escape, and mental health problems caused by the relentless shootings. Others talked about high morals, colleague heroism, and a commitment to keep fighting despite the fact that well-equipped Russians dominate more combat zones.
Lieutenant Volodimir Nazarenko, 30, the Deputy Commander of the Svoboda Squadron of the Ukrainian National Guard, was with an army withdrawing from Sievierodnetsk under orders from military leaders. .. During a month of combat, he said Russian tanks wiped out potential defensive positions and turned a city with a prewar population of 101,000 into a "burnt desert."
"They shot us every day. I don't want to lie about it, but these were bullets in every building," Nazarenko said.
At that time, Sievierodnetsk was one of the two major cities under Ukrainian control in Luhansk, where pro-Russian separatists declared an unapproved republic eight years ago. .. The Ukrainians were surrounded on three sides and attached protection from chemical plants to protect civilians.
"If there was a hell somewhere on Earth, it was in Sievierodnetsk," said Artem Ruban, a soldier of the Nazarenko Squadron. From a relatively safe location in Bakumut, 64 km southwest of the city since it was occupied.
"They weren't the human condition they had to fight. Here I explain to you how they feel or were there. It's difficult, "Luban said, blinking in the sunlight. "They were fighting there to the end. The mission was to destroy the enemy no matter what."
After Russia invaded Ukraine, they fought in Kive and elsewhere in the east. Despite the consequences, Nazarenko sees Ukrainian operations in Sievierodnetsk as a "victory." It has depleted Russia's resources for much longer than expected.
"Their troops suffered huge losses and the possibility of an attack was lost," he said.
Confidence that Ukraine, expressed by both the deputy and the soldiers under his command, will regain all the occupied territories and defeat Russia. They claimed that morals remained high. Other soldiers shared a more pessimistic explanation, claiming anonymity and using only their name to discuss their experience, as most had no combat experience before the invasion. ..
Oleksiy, a member of the Ukrainian army who began the fight against Moscow-backed separatists in 2016, had just returned head-on with a heavy drag. He said He was injured on the battlefield in Zorote, a town that was also occupied by Russians.
"TV shows beautiful pictures of frontlines, solidarity, and the army, but the reality is very different," he said, and I don't think the delivery of Western weapons will change anymore. I added. The process of war.
His corps began to run out of ammunition within a few weeks, Oleksiy said. At some point, relentless shooting prevented the soldiers from standing up in the pit, he said.
Last month, an aide to the president reported that 100 to 200 Ukrainian troops were dead every day, but the country did not provide the total number actually killed. Oleksiy claimed that his troops lost 150 people in the first three days of the fight, many of them due to blood loss.
He said the injured soldiers had to evacuate only at night and sometimes wait two days because of the relentless bombing.
"The commander doesn't care if you're psychologically broken. If your mind is working, if you have arms and legs, you have to put it back." He added.
Maria, a 41-year-old platoon commander who joined the Ukrainian army in 2018 after working as a lawyer and giving birth to her daughter, said the level of danger and discomfort was access to the unit's location and supply line. ..
The front lines that have existed since the beginning of the conflict with pro-Russian separatists in 2014 are more static and predictable, but the battlefield as Russia sent troops into the invasion. The place that became is "another world". ..
Maria, who refused to share her name for her security reasons, said her husband is currently fighting in such a "hotspot". Everyone misses and is worried about their loved ones. This is painful, but her subordinates keep their spirits high, she said.
"We are descendants of Kosak. We are free and brave. It is in our blood," she said.
Two other soldiers interviewed by AP, a former Kib salaryman with no combat experience, said they were sent to the eastern front as soon as they completed their first training. They observed "terrible organizations" and "illogical decisions" and said that many in the corps refused to fight.
One of the soldiers said he smoked marijuana every day. "Otherwise I'll lose my heart and I'll throw it away. That's the only way I can deal with it," he said.
A 28-year-old ex-teacher in Sloviansk said he "did not imagine" fighting for his country, and the Ukrainian battlefield was not just high and low in values and emotions, but at all. I explained that it was a different life.
"There is joy and sadness. Everything is intertwined," he said.
Friendship with his colleagues provides a bright spot. However, he also saw his fellow soldiers succumb to extreme fatigue, both physically and mentally, showing symptoms of PTSD.
"It's difficult to live under constant stress, lack of sleep, and malnutrition. See all those fears with your own eyes-dead, torn limbs. Someone's spirit It's unlikely to be tolerated, "he said.
Still, he claimed that he still had a motive to protect their country.
"We are ready to clench our teeth and endure and fight, no matter how hard or difficult it may be," he said from a fishing shop that had been converted into a military distribution base. "Who would protect my home and my family if not me?"
The Sloviansk City Center provided equipment and equipment to local military units, with physical setbacks in combat. Provides a place to go to soldiers during a short rest from fear.
When the war began, 43-year-old dance choreographer Tetiana Kihimion founded the center. According to her, soldiers of all kinds pass through, from skilled special forces and war-resistant veterans to recently registered civilians to fighter-turned fighter planes.
"It will be like this. He may come for the first time, laugh loudly and even be shy. Next time he will come and there will be emptiness in his eyes." Kimion said.
Behind her, a group of young Ukrainian soldiers taking turns from the front line sit sharing pizza with jokes. The sound of the shooting can be heard a few miles away.
"Most of the time they want something better. Yes, sometimes they can be a little sad, but we want to raise their spirit here as well." Said Kimion.
On Sunday, Russian troops occupied the last Ukrainian fortress in Luhansk and intensified a rocket attack on Donetsk, where the center is located.
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Valerii Rezik contributed to this story.
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