Russian troops are moving slowly along the front line in the north of Donbass, so Lysychansk can now be reached by only one road.

“Every day blood, blood, blood, blood,” said Major Kravchenko, who heads the army’s medical brigades in the area.

“Watch out for snipers. The Russians fired on the area 15 minutes ago,” the nurse said as we followed the major into an abandoned building where ambulance crews were waiting for the next call.

Every few seconds you hear the roar of artillery shells.

The floor in the building is littered with broken glass and debris. In the corner is a table tennis table, next to the wall – a large hole from the projectile. Doctors drink coffee at a homemade table.

Lysychansk is one of many strategic cities located among forests, hills and giant coal mines, which the Russians are currently trying to capture. Their goal is to take Ukrainian forces into the ring and capture the rest of Donbass.

“We have about 30 wounded every day. Debris, bullets, wounds. It all depends on the intensity of the battle. The wounded are picked up and taken to hospital. But our soldiers hold their positions, give a decent rebuff,” said Major Kravchenko.

Most of the injuries were wreckage and concussions, which indicate Russia’s strategy of shelling Ukrainian fortifications. But the bullet wounds reported by the major appear to support reports that Russian troops have launched an offensive.

Then, outside Lysychansk, a soldier with a severe head injury is lying on a stretcher in a dilapidated Soviet-era hospital.

“The injury is serious, the prospects are very bad,” the doctor says hoarsely a second before the ambulance takes the wounded soldier to a safer place.

The dark hospital wards are crowded with young soldiers, many of whom have concussions.

“They fired mortars at Easter. My head hurts, it’s hard to concentrate,” 30-year-old Oleksandr Hrynchak whispered. He slowly points to the bed where his friend with similar injuries lies. There is no water supply in the hospital, but this does not stop the doctors, they continue to operate.

Many houses on the streets have fresh traces of recent Russian shelling. There is a huge hole in the road, the gas station is destroyed.

Russian troops are advancing to Lisichansk from the north, east, and now from the southeast, which seems a more methodical and perhaps more effective strategy. They want to block Ukraine’s main supply routes, including the vital railway.

Most civilians have already left Lysychansk and adjacent frontline Severodonetsk.

But during the particularly heavy shelling, we saw a family of four. They walked along the sidewalk to the nearest basement.

“We have nowhere to go. There are no relatives elsewhere. In addition, we need money to live somewhere, and our reserves will be enough for a month,” said Anastasia Leontieva, holding the hand of her four-year-old son.

“I’m fine,” says nine-year-old Masha cheerfully, but she shudders when a loud explosion erupts over the city. “I’m not afraid. I’m my older sister, so I’m not afraid.”

Seventeen civilians, including several children, are hiding in the basement of a large administrative building. They have just turned off the water, there is still electricity.

69-year-old Lyubov Gubina and her 73-year-old husband Oleksiy are sitting on the beds in a tiny room, listening to the news on the radio and quietly arguing about what to do.

A retired kindergarten cleaner and a truck driver have lived in Lysychansk all their lives.

“I told my wife that she could go with the children,” says Oleksiy.

“My husband is ill. His legs hurt. He can’t walk, so we will stay. But I’m scared. This war shouldn’t have happened,” says Lyubov and begins to cry.

“It’s awful. I’m so scared. I’m scared every night. I don’t know if we’ll survive it. I don’t know if Lysychansk and Ukraine will survive.”

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