From a forested part of the Kharkiv region, Ukrainian troops launched one mortar after another to try to fight back a Russian advance.
The Russian forces had crossed the Oskil River near the city of Kupyansk and entered the village of Dvorichna.
Some Ukrainian fighters were briefly surrounded by Russian troops but managed to escape and establish positions outside the village.
“The situation is a f***ing mess,” a soldier named Roman told RFE/RL. “It was better when we first came here. But then [the Russians] started moving, and it became complicated. There were no positions ready, and we had to build them very quickly.”
Russia’s military has stepped up a spring offensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region, launching air strikes against the cities of Kharkiv and Kupyansk.
Russian forces were also trying to advance in Ukraine’s Sumy region across the border from the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces made an incursion last year. The city of Sumy was the site of a Russian missile strike on April 13 that killed 35 people and injured more than 100.
The Ukrainian soldiers described being outgunned by Russian drones, which were circling overhead night and day.
“Each of our drone pilot units here faces five to six enemy pilot units,” a soldier called Petro said. “One of their drones is always in the air, monitoring our positions. The next day, our positions will be demolished by their fire. And it’s impossible to build it back.”
“Once the enemy sees a path our soldiers have used, 10 minutes later, they litter it with antipersonnel mines and any explosives they can drop from the drones. That’s the hardest thing,” Petro said.
Along with heavy artillery aimed toward Dvorichna, the Ukrainian unit used their own drones to try to repel the greater numbers of Russian unmanned aircraft.
They were prepared to keep fighting for the long haul, Petro said. “When the soldiers [escaped from advancing forces], one of them told me: ‘No worries, we can still slam the door in their faces.'"
