A correspondent with RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, Maryan Kushnir, documented recent frontline fighting between Ukrainian Army soldiers and Russia-backed separatists near Horlivka in eastern Ukraine.
In The Trenches And Under Fire In Eastern Ukraine
An observation post needs repairs after a long winter.
This Ukrainian soldier, Oleksandr, was born in Luhansk and worked in a mine for 22 years. In 2015, he joined the military to fight for his home city. Now, he's on the front line near Horlivka, about 100 kilometers from separatist-controlled Luhansk. He vows to fight until the city is under Ukrainian government control.
Ukrainian soldier Vladyslav reports to his commander that separatist forces have shelled their positions. Ukrainian troops have orders to report cases of shelling to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which monitors the standoff in the region.
Vladyslav keeps watch from the trenches.
This forest was recently under bombardment.
Ukrainian sappers deal with mines and unexploded shells that have landed near their positions.
An explosion goes off near Ukrainian troops but no one was injured.
Soldiers rest in a dugout a few hundred meters from territory controlled by the separatists.
Uncle Misha, a Ukrainian soldier, rests before reporting for duty. It is common for the troops on the front lines to keep cats and dogs as pets.