The soldiers, tired and tired, described a dangerous struggle to hold eastern Ukraine. First a relentless bombardment by Russian heavy equipment, followed by the rapid advance of tanks and infantry – whose job it was to “clear” any Ukrainian troops left standing. A wounded Ukrainian soldier is being transported to a medical unit after receiving emergency treatment in Bakhmut. Photo: Bernat Armangué / APAn Injured Ukrainian soldier and wounded civilian await medical treatment in Bakhmut. Photo: Bernat Armangué / AP For 13 weeks, Russian forces have been trying to occupy the provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk. They captured the town of Popasna, 18 miles (30 km) east of Bakhmut, and have flooded most of Sievierodonetsk, 35 miles northwest. Bakhmut – known in Soviet times as Artemivsk – stands in the way of any further Russian advance. Despite the scale of their enemy, the soldiers said they were still convinced that the power of will and good would defeat evil. map v2 The masses of weapons that the Russian side has and is ready to drop in this war mark a difference with the proxy war that took place in eastern Ukraine in 2014, the soldiers said. Russia then tried to cover up its involvement. NO this time. The Ukrainian army has many highly motivated fighters, they said, but their equipment and men are being pounded by masses of Russian shells, rockets and missiles. Volodymyr Zelenskiy with Ukrainian soldiers during a visit to frontline positions in the Bakhmut and Lysychansk regions. Photo: Presidential Press Service of Ukraine / AFP / Getty Images The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, stated that between 60 and 100 Ukrainian soldiers die every day in the Donbass region and about 500 are injured. The Guardian had access to Ukrainian soldiers on condition that it did not disclose their names and the location of Ukrainian positions. Zelensky visited the front line on Sunday and headed to Soledar, just north of Bakhmut, and the bustling city of Lysikhansk. On the way to Bakhmut, Ukrainian army vehicles were visible, including ammunition and fuel trucks, as well as an impressive 2S7 machine gun mounted on a loader. Dark traces of a Smerch multi-launcher missile system set in the sky. Alexey in Bakhmut. Photo: Anastasia Taylor-Lind / The Guardian The soldiers said they were used to the relentless bombing by the Russian side. “The first time you see a tank you get scared,” said Sasha, a young doctor. “After a while you do not feel it. It ‘s like getting into ecstasy. Your goal is to kill the enemy. You can not do this if you have a normal psyche. You become another. My parents tell me that I am cut off from reality. “When you fight in a city, the positions are kept in buildings,” added Sasha, who left the city of Donetsk in 2014 when Russian-backed forces took over. “They shoot you with artillery – engravings, missiles, mortars – and then, if you have nothing to answer, [retreat] in another building and move on. “ Vasil, a soldier hospitalized in Dnipro. Photo: Anastasia Taylor-Lind / The Guardian Sasha and his company were the third replacement unit sent to Rubizne in Luhansk, one of the many cities in eastern Ukraine devastated by the fighting. Like the first two companies, Sasha’s unit was eventually vacated. As they were leaving, a rocket landed on their armored vehicle. “We were driving outside and three grenades hit us. Our vehicle overturned. “Almost all of us were injured, including me.” The next day, May 11, Rubizhne fell to Russian forces. “There are many unspoken negative moments,” Sasha said, referring to Ukraine’s wartime information strategy and censorship laws. “But I am ready to fight to the end because I do not want anyone else to lose their home like my family did in Donetsk.” Most civilians have fled Bakhmut. Few remain, despite the constant shelling of the outgoing artillery and the explosions of gunfire in the streets. Two people, Lena and Oleg, said they had stayed to take care of Lena’s elderly father. “It was a great city. We had 15 factories. “Bakhmut flourished.” How far was the battle? “It’s close,” Lena said. Fighting continues outside the city. On May 31, Ivan, a 24-year-old car mechanic from western Ukraine, was injured while fighting in an abandoned village on the outskirts of Rubizhne. He and his unit dug trenches near a forest. Three of his friends were killed by Russian assailants. Ivan, 24, a soldier who is being treated at a hospital in Dnipro. Photo: Anastasia Taylor-Lind / The Guardian “I went for a cigarette. “Suddenly the whole hell broke,” said Ivan. “The Russians were hiding in the trees. There was an artillery barrier. Then a bullet passed. “A sniper was shooting at us.” Ivan and another soldier, Vitia, dived from a nearby summer hut on one side of the ditch. “Andrushka tried to reach us but was shot in the head and died,” Ivan said. “Then our sergeant, Olech, broke the cover and ran to my place, but a bullet struck him in the head and almost fell on me.” A short time later, the sniper also shot Vitya, who was to Ivan’s right, and killed him as well. Ivan’s weapon had no cartridges, so the sergeant fired his rifle when he too was hit. “A bullet hit my right eye and it started bleeding,” said Ivan, who had a concussion and was buzzing in his ears from the blasts. “I got used to it and tried to drag Oleg’s body to the nearest house in the village. “I could not see properly.” Subscribe to the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7 p.m. BST Ivan dropped one of his two grenades, not to hit the Russians, but as a distraction maneuver, he said. “I took the pin out of the other. I thought, “If they come, I can blow myself up and take two or three of them with me.” He added: “The battle lasted 15 to 20 minutes. “The reinforcements came, took the grenade from my hand and pulled me out.” Still visibly upset, Ivan is recovering in hospital from an eye injury. Doctors say he will be able to see after a while. Ilya, a doctor, examines the eye of an injured soldier at a hospital in the Dnipro. Photo: Anastasia Taylor-Lind / The GuardianDarina, a doctor treating soldiers at a hospital in Dnipro. Photo: Anastasia Taylor-Lind / The Guardian At a hospital in the Dnipro region where Ivan is being treated, doctors said more than 122 Ukrainian soldiers were being treated for eye injuries after being hit by explosive fragments. “The injuries are much worse than in 2014, then they were just bullets,” said one doctor, Julia Valentinivna. “Very often both eyes are damaged.” Vasia, a soldier whose eye was hit by shrapnel and is unlikely to fully recover, said he had no regrets. “Russia has more artillery than us,” Vasia said. “The only way we can resist is to give our lives.”