Near Slovyansk, a Ukrainian unit is stationed in suffering. For more than a month, Maxim and his comrades have been sleeping in an earth-smelling shell-proof cave, eating canned food cooked over a campfire, and paying attention to the news of the Russian army's advance a few kilometers away.
They are hidden deep in the dense forest not far from Slovyansk. They are part of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Force - the irregular army. They are one of the 2 million territorial defense forces mentioned by the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Army, Most of the soldiers signed up on the day the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out.
Previously, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense organized defense forces on the basis of one brigade per state, with a total of 150 battalions and 25 brigades of territorial defense forces. Zelensky signed an order on June 11 to send these soldiers to Perform missions in war zones.
They have been spending time under the disguise network , passing the time next to the huge garbage dump of discarded bottled water. But they live under the roar of artillery fire every moment of every day. Their deep, wooded positions are often littered with cluster munitions .
As Russia gains ground in Severodonetsk and Lischichansk, the next phase of this conflict will take aim in unknown directions.
They had ample anti-tank weapons that had proven decisive in stopping the initial Russian offensive in previous battles, but at this stage of the conflict these weapons were no longer what they needed.
The Russian army is not completely unaware of this Ukrainian force hiding in the forest. After figuring out the firepower configuration of this force, they only occasionally conduct 10 or 20 rounds of shocking artillery fire. Because the opponent lacks artillery , it does not pose a great threat.
Donbass was the site of conflict in 2014. After Ukraine thwarted Russia's military attempt in Kiev , Donbass once again became the center of the war.
The Russian army changed their tactics. They have been cautiously maintaining their offensive, although the advance is very slow. Further east, Russian troops occupied Severodonetsk and, in the latest battle reports, were close to encircling Ukrainian troops in neighboring Lischichansk.
This has put pressure on the most important centers of the Udong region, Bakhmut and Slovyansk, especially Kramatorsk. The Territorial Defense Force is just one in a network of corkscrews used by the Ukrainian military to plug gaps in its defences.
Perhaps it is not bad to wait like now. If they face the Russian army directly, it will mean that the Ukrainian artillery force failed to stop the Russian advance, and the forest will be in more danger.
Maxim’s comrade Mihailo pointed the way from the edge of the trench. He said, "If there is an enemy coming from this direction, our task is to stop it."
