Two villages near the city of Donetsk, Avdiyivka and Pisky, are the scene of ongoing fighting between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists. Both towns have been heavily damaged, and the fighters are suffering the impact of months or years of combat. RFE/RL journalists visited the front-line positions of the Ukrainian government forces in both locations.
Life In The Trenches On The Outskirts Of Donetsk
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A Ukrainian soldier points toward the zone of combat in an industrial area near Avdiyivka, just north of Donetsk.
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Ukrainian soldiers have dug trenches and tunnels in the Promka industrial zone. The Russia-backed separatists have also dug in to their positions on the other side of the front lines.
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Journalists run for cover with Ukrainian government forces, anticipating the start of shelling.
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Ukrainian soldiers taking a break
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Dmytro, a 21-year-old soldier
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A soldier stands with a machine gun some 100 meters from enemy positions.
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Grenades are kept close at hand.
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The inside of one of the Ukrainian troops' shelters
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Ukrainian soldiers make their way past damaged buildings in Avdiyivka.
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Just a few kilometers from Avdiyivka is the village of Pisky, largely destroyed by ongoing fighting.
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A 22-year-old fighter nicknamed Pixel chops firewood -- the only available source of heating. The forces rely on generators for electricity.
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Nearly every house in Pisky has been damaged or destroyed in the fighting.
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Ukrainian soldiers nicknamed Сoyote and Bek talk in an underground shelter.
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Painted hand grenades are used as decoration.
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Daryna, 23, has been fighting since 2014 -- first as a volunteer, then as a soldier in the Ukrainian Army. Her 6-year-old daughter is waiting for her at home.
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A wood-fired stove provides hot water in this bathroom used by the soldiers.
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Coyote reads an inscription on the body armor belonging to a soldier called Pharaoh: "I live in my God-given land. Everything will be 4.5.0." The military slang means "Everything will be fine."
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Spent munitions litter the ground throughout Pisky.
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A Ukrainian flag hangs on the bell tower of a church in the middle of Pisky.