The Ukrainian fighters standing in Russia’s way on eastern front

Reuters: –

Barely a kilometre from Russian positions defending the captured eastern city of Izium, Ukrainian and foreign fighters hunker in a dank basement. Artillery rains down on them most nights, shaking loose the plaster and filling the air with dust.

At the sharp end of efforts to stop the Russian army’s progress in eastern Ukraine are the Carpathian Sich battalion, a unit of Ukrainians and foreign nationals who answered Kyiv’s call for help to confront the invader.

“Now it’s more of an artillery war. It’s a tougher war, a scarier war, where only people who are strong in their spirit can fight,” said Dzvin, a field commander in the battalion who asked to be identified by his nom de guerre for security reasons, due to his leadership role.

The fighters say they are bound together by a fierce commitment to Ukraine that is now being put to a punishing test.

“Each of our warriors understands that at some point they will come eye to eye with a tank,” Dzvin said.

The unit recently captured one almost intact. But it must also contend with Russian drones – which the fighters refer to as “black clouds” – that help direct deadly artillery fire onto their positions.

“It is getting a lot tougher out here. The longer it goes on, it is definitely tiring,” said Conor, a British volunteer and former army medic serving on the frontline.

“They shelled at one, two and four o’clock in the morning yesterday so that’s obviously breaking our sleep routine up. But you’ve got to stay positive.”