Ukrainian forces have been defending Donbass since 2014. They are still defending themselves – but now sporadic fighting has turned into a full-scale war against the Russian army.

Lieutenant Denis Gordeyev got used to the war – but not to one.

“It’s gotten a lot harder,” he says. “We have bombs, missile attacks every day, all the time, every hour.”

Although he spent eight years fighting Russian-backed separatists in Donbas, he and his men are now facing the full force of the Russian army.

After retreating from Kyiv three weeks ago, Russia refocused its military efforts on eastern Ukraine in order to capture the entire Donbas. It redeployed many of its units to the east. According to Western officials, Russia now has about 76 battalion tactical groups in the region, each numbering about 800 people.

They also say there is some evidence that Russia is correcting some of its previous mistakes. And this is facilitated by the fact that they are now fighting on fewer fronts and under a single command.

As a result, Ukrainian forces are trying to maintain a more than 300-kilometer front line in the Donbas. They have already lost part of the territory – and will probably lose even more in the coming days. Russian troops are conducting “probing” attacks to find weaknesses in Ukraine’s defense.

So far, the Russians have conquered the area around the city of Izyum in the north, as well as around Severedonetsk and Popasna in the east. Attacks are coming from several directions, although there has been no major breakthrough in Russia so far.

Lieutenant Gordeyev says he and his men are feeling the effects of such actions.

The day before our visit, one of his men was killed and five others were injured. This is only a part of the losses that Ukrainian forces now suffer every day, although there are no official data. We tried to visit a field hospital nearby, but we were told it was too busy.

Is this the big Russian attack that everyone predicted? Is this just a prelude to such an attack?

It is still unclear. Today, the Russian army mostly uses artillery and missiles to destroy Ukraine’s defenses. Some military analysts expect a serious attack ahead.

And Ukrainian forces, including Lieutenant Gordeyev and his unit, continue to defend themselves, although Western experts say the enemy has outnumbered them three times. They also acknowledge that Ukraine is likely to have to give up positions in the open to protect key cities where it will be harder for Russians to fight.

During a brief lull in battle, I was allowed to visit Lieutenant Gordeyev’s front line. They built a chapel at the command post. They pray for victory. But this is not a place for quiet contemplation. Regular artillery explosions can be heard here.

On the way to the trench line, he tells me that mortar and sniper fire is a constant threat. Their nearest position is 600 meters from Russian troops.

The landscape here is mostly open countryside. Some cover is provided by trees in some places, but we are close enough to hear fire from small arms from time to time.

The Russians “go, go and go to Ukraine. And we don’t know when they will stop. We don’t know when their trip will end,” said Lieutenant Gordeyev. Prior to joining the Ukrainian army, he was a lawyer. He hopes to one day return to that life. But so far, he said, he is focused on winning the war.

At the bottom, in the trenches, out of sight of the enemy, the mood is more relaxed, although the tired faces of the soldiers clearly show the tension of recent battles.

They show us their weapons – the Soviet large-caliber machine gun DShK, which is still used in conflicts around the world, and a variety of rocket-propelled grenades. Mostly it is an older weapon of the Soviet era, but they are also proud to demonstrate their only British-made anti-tank missile – NLAW (light anti-tank weapon of the next generation).

One of Lieutenant Gordeyev’s men was taught by British troops to use it just before the war. They have already used it to destroy a Russian tank.

“We need these weapons,” Lieutenant Gordeyev repeated several times. According to him, Russia is a “military state” – in contrast, Ukraine’s ability to obtain its own weapons has been severely damaged. Arms supplies from the West will greatly affect the outcome of this war.

Lieutenant Gordeyev says the morale of his troops remains high. They are fighting for the Motherland.

But President Putin wants and needs something he can call victory, and quickly, perhaps by May 9, at Russia’s victory parade. Time may be on Ukraine’s side – but only if Western arms supplies continue and Russia can hold back Russia’s offensive.

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