We traveled in military escort through checkpoints, along dilapidated highways, to reach the slowly shifting front lines. All the villages have been heavily bombed – and things are getting worse. The roofs of the houses have been pancaked by the impact of the explosions and the fences surrounding them have been filled with shrapnel. Nowhere is safe here. But surprisingly there are some residents who have decided not to leave. Russia “builds military strike force targeting Zelensky’s homeland” – latest updates Even after all the months of fighting, Ivan tells me he still gets chills when the bombs start falling. “They are bombing, they are bombing the sea. There are two fires, you can see. And a fire over there. They are bombing every day,” he says. Attacks come at any time, but are worse at night and early in the morning. Those who remain say they don’t have the resources to leave. Others are too ill-disposed to leave and have no choice but to remain in the line of fire. Image: Lubov climbs down a hatch in her small house Lubov shows me where she is waiting for the Russian artillery barrages. She climbs down a hatch into her small house, which has been hit several times by shrapnel. It’s a dark and lonely existence as war roars overhead. “Every night we come here until the morning. During the day if there is a lot of shelling we also have to go down. We are afraid. We hide and we are afraid. We wait for it to end, maybe,” he says. After six months of conflict, the debris of war along the southern front overwhelms the countryside. Burnt Russian armored personnel carriers (APCs) tell the story of a mass attack in Ukraine, on the ground the burnt uniforms of the soldiers who perished. The Russian armor was destroyed at the start of the invasion and the fronts have not moved significantly here for months. Image: Debris of war along the southern front litters the countryside Ukraine hopes its forces will be able to push back the Kremlin’s war machine from areas further south as it launches a counter-offensive. This is now a war fought in vast open areas, and lurking in that landscape are artillery teams waiting for coordinates to hit new targets. But units stationed here say they need more supplies from the West to win this fight. Along the line of contact, trenches stretch for miles. Infantry units hold defensive positions but wait to advance further. There is a concern among soldiers that Western support may wane without steady progress. Image: Sky’s Vasily and Alex Rossi But Vasily, from the 59th Brigade, warns that a defeat here will have consequences for democracies everywhere. “A lot of civilians are dying. The Russians fight very dirty. They have no morals, no ethics in war. They just go in raiding, killing and raping.” “If we don’t stop them here on our land, if God forbid they take our land and destroy our whole army, they won’t stop here. We better push them back here.” The troops are 100% sure they can win, but Ukraine says there are signs Moscow is getting more desperate. Attacks on civilian targets are increasing. In Mykolaiv, residents live under the constant threat of shelling. At a bus stop on the outskirts, seven were recently killed by a Russian rocket. The war here is entering a new phase, but this conflict will not end quickly. The artillery slugging match for the south will be a slow and deadly grind.
