Euronews International Correspondent Valerie Gauriat reports from the field as Ukrainian forces fight on one of the most crucial frontline areas in Russia's ongoing war.
Ukrainian forces are relentlessly trying to slow down the Russian advance in the strategically important city of Pokrovsk — to prevent them from potentially reaching the neighbouring Dnipropetrovsk region.
Ukrainian troops are currently losing ground near the vital supply hub of Pokrovsk, which is located at the intersection of several highways connecting key cities in eastern Donetsk and an important railway station.
Russian troops are less than a dozen kilometres away from closing in on the town, which is one of the last major towns in the area.
As explosions echo in the distance, firing orders from the unit are frequent and sometimes occur every minute.
Back at the base, Ukrainian soldiers appear relaxed — playing with dogs as if nothing is happening. They know, however, that the situation is fragile.
Ihor, a senior battery officer in the 38th Brigade, told Euronews that fire from Russian forces is, "constant, it's active combat now.”
“They constantly try to breach the frontline. Sometimes it's less, sometimes it's more," Ihor said.
The biggest issue, he says, is the shortage of shells, which are needed to target the threats they face from Russian troops.
The soldier rejected ideas that Ukraine should consider ceding territory to Russia as Moscow's full-scale invasion of its western neighbour nears its three-year mark.
“I don’t support concessions of territories,” Ihor says. “We already went through this twice. It’s just delaying and allowing time for Russians to go further with new strength.”
Commanders here know that the battle for Pokrovsk is critical to the outcome of the war — if Russian troops manage to capture or bypass the town, they could advance further into Ukraine and force Ukrainian forces to retreat.
The only strategy to prevent this — according to Ukrainian commanders — is to inflict as many losses on the Russian forces as possible, buying time to hold their ground.
Watch the report by Euronews International Correspondent Valerie Gauriat in the player above.