Report

War in Ukraine: in the Donbass, 750 meters from Russian forces

Audio 01:37

The remains of a burnt vehicle on the road to Popasna, in the Donbass region, on April 14, 2022 (illustration).

AFP - RONALDO SCHEMIDT

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

Russia announced on Tuesday April 19 that it had carried out a dozen air and missile strikes in eastern Ukraine, starting, according to kyiv, “the battle for Donbass” feared for weeks.

Report from a battalion on a front line in the Donbass. 

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With our special correspondents,

Clea Broadhurst

and

Jad El Khoury

We are on the front line.

Here we have two checkpoints.

Our enemies are 750 meters from us.

Aleksandr is the battalion commander on a front line in southern Donbass.

The second phase of the offensive has indeed begun according to him.

“ 

The last two days, the shelling has become very strong, more and more frequent.

Clearly the Russians are bringing out the heavy artillery. 

» 

The bombardments are getting closer, the soldiers are getting ready.

Serguey, medical officer of the battalion, hammers every day how to provide first aid care.

“ 

I teach them how to make bandages, and all the medical basics they need to know.

But also, I show them the routes to evacuate the front if necessary.

I control everything.

If a soldier is injured somewhere, I take care of him until he is evacuated.

 » 

This seemingly exhausted soldier may be prepared for war, but it still seems insane to him. 

“I lost my best friend here a few weeks ago.

It's very hard to realize that I will never see him again.

Civilians experience all of this.

Look at Kramatorsk, at Mariupol… What did they do?

These are just people who lived a quiet life.

 » 

Now that a new phase has begun, the soldiers on this front line await the Russians, under the echo of the bombardments. 

All of our daily, live coverage of the war in Ukraine.

© FMM Graphic Studio

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