Ukrainian soldiers on front line in Donetsk continue heavy fire at Russian military positions

By Davit Kachkachishvili

DONETSK, Ukraine (AA) - Ukrainian soldiers on the front line near the city of Vuhledar in the eastern Donetsk region continue taking shots at Russian military positions day and night.

For several months, clashes at various hot spots of the Russia-Ukraine war have intensified, notably in the Donetsk region – a territory Russia last year tried to claim it had annexed – in comparison to other fronts in the Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk regions.

In its fight against Russian forces, which stepped up their offensive in Donetsk during the winter, the Ukrainian army is trying to hold the defensive line before launching a counterattack.

Intense clashes continue in the direction of Bakhmut and Marinka, where street clashes take place, as well as Avdiivka, which is besieged on three sides, and the town of Vuhledar.

Vuhledar has been widely known as the front seeing the fiercest tank clashes between Russia and Ukraine, with Ukrainian troops stationed near the city on duty day and night to prevent advances by the Russian military.

"The situation on the front is very heavy because the war continues here. We’re now on duty in the direction of Vuhledar," Roman, a 51-year-old Ukrainian soldier, who did not give his full name for security reasons, told Anadolu.

Saying that his main goal as a Ukrainian soldier is to protect his country's territorial integrity, Roman added that they are doing "what a man should do."

Roman said they usually fire on Russian positions using foreign-made machine guns, adding: "The situation on the front changes every moment. In five minutes, it may get more intense here. We’re one kilometer away from the enemy positions."

"We’re holding the defensive line here. They (the Russian army) have been attacking since last year, but they couldn’t get past our line of defense," Roman said.

*Writing by Burc Eruygur in Istanbul