Karpatska Sich is one of several nationalist battalions created in 2014, at the time of Maidan.

These volunteers are now integrated into the Ukrainian armed forces.

The unit is tasked with blocking the Russian advance northwest of Donbass.

In their base, south of Izium – a town now held by Russian soldiers – unit leader Dzvin recounts their battles and calls on the West for help.

"There is constant artillery fire on our positions. The tanks are shooting at us too, but we are holding out," he explains.

"We need more anti-tank weapons. I want to send a message to all Western countries: we need help, we have weapons but we must be given more. Help us defeat our enemy juror, attacking the foundations of the civilized world."

As Russian drones fly over the area and the strikes get closer, Lekhko, a member of the Karpatska Sich battalion, makes the same speech: "If we had more powerful weapons to reach them, we could counter-attack."

The unit has several T72 tanks dating from the Soviet era.

"Our armament is too old to fight a modern war. We would need the artillery and the tanks that the NATO countries have. That's what we dream of, we need it to win this war", believes Dzvin.

Before winning the war, we must first save the Donbass.

The Ukrainian army now only holds a tiny part of this region.

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