Weapons running out on southern frontline in Ukraine

• The treeline provides some shade and protection from the searing sun for the soldiers on the frontlines.
• The Russians hope to wear out the Ukrainians.
• Artillery strikes rattle all around, as smoke rises from behind trees on the horizon.

The treeline provides some shade and protection from the searing sun for the soldiers on the frontlines.

A spotter crouches with binoculars to his eyes, checking the trees for movement in the distance.

The Russian army are not far away.

The Russians used to occupy this tiny camp until they were pushed out; each side knows where the other is.

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I ponder the tactical logic of returning to a location where the Russians surely have precise coordinates, but I push the thought out of my mind.

It’s now a Ukrainian artillery base, with a howitzer that’s been camouflaged with webbing and greenery and is silent for the time being.

However, it is clear why Ukraine continues to beg for weaponry from the West. There are simply insufficient firearms to go around.

“Everyone is ready to fight,” another soldier says, “but to be honest, we don’t have enough weapons.”

“We have a lot of people, there are still people going to recruitment centers, they want to fight, but as we have a lack of weapons it’s impossible for everyone to have a weapon in their hands.”

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The frontline hasn’t shifted in weeks, and both sides appear to be well entrenched. It reflects a frontline that has reached a stalemate in some areas.

Nearby, at a crossroads, the blue and yellow Ukrainian flag flies, strategically placed to be seen to Russian forces.

The Russians hope to wear out the Ukrainians, but they haven’t done it yet, and it’s hard to imagine how they expect to shatter these warriors’ determination to safeguard their motherland.

Artillery strikes rattle all around us, as smoke rises from behind trees on the horizon. “It’s a bridge. It was one of theirs, “a soldier informs me

They then advise us to flee. The Russians have retaliated.

This is how it is on a daily basis. A never-ending artillery battle in which neither side is winning or losing.

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