After a tough winter and a costly defeat in the stronghold of Avdiivka, Ukrainians are facing one of the most difficult moments of this war on the Donbas front lines. With a frightening shortage of ammunition and without strong defensive lines, Russian troops are trying to advance on the region. As soldiers fight, many civilians face a tough decision to leave everything they built in their lives behind or wait to see if the war takes a different turn.
In Photos: Around Ukraine’s Avdiivka, Civilians Flee, and Soldiers Fight as War Gets Closer
- By Yan Boechat
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A Ukrainian drone squad commander observes his different teams working on the front lines of Donbas. The use of kamikaze drones has become very common in this war, both by Russians and Ukrainians, in Lyman, March 3, 2024.
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A soldier inspects a crater created by a 500kg bomb dropped by a Russian plane in the town of Ocheretyno, near Avdiivka, March 4, 2024.
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A soldier takes guard in an artillery position near Kupiansk, a city that was occupied by Russian forces and retaken by Ukrainians by the end of 2022, March 6, 2024.
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Helena Kasmina, 53, takes cover in her cellar during Russian bombardment in her village, in Netailove, March 8, 2024. Helena, like many here, has decided it is time to leave for a safer place.