'I Don't Dream Anymore': Ukrainian Soldiers Await Their Fate In The Trenches

A soldier of the 68th Independent Jager Brigade enjoys a cigarette in his trench during a lull in fighting on the front line in the southern Donetsk region on May 5.

The small settlement of Volnovakha -- one of 19 districts in the Donetsk region -- once served as the administrative center of the Volnovakha region. It has been largely destroyed after months of fighting as both sides engage in trench warfare.

Oleksandr, 44, scans the sky for enemy drones.

"The first thing I will do after winning [the war] is go to my cabin. It's a small dacha near Khmelnytskiy -- a beautiful lake. And then I will get a job and rebuild Ukraine."

Fired brass cartridge casings litter the ground of their trench position.  

Before the Russian invasion, Volodymyr, 49, worked at a construction site in Warsaw.

"We need help -- healthy guys who, unfortunately, are hiding [from military service] now." He added: "I would be ashamed to behave like that. They have their own lives, and I chose mine."

Volodymyr shows the tiny dugout of several square meters where they sleep.  

Lined with insulation and a light from a generator, the small dugout serves as the soldiers' home.

Anti-tank grenade launchers, machine guns, and cartridges await their use.

With both sides dug in, the peaceful interludes are often broken up by moments of terror with artillery and machine-gun fire.

Oleksandr, 33, worked as an electrician at the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant.

"I don't dream about anything anymore. It's just one desire: to end the war with a victory." He added: "I will be here until the end. When the war is over, we will all return home."

After a small break, a soldier returns to patrolling his trench position.