(Dan Tri) – Just a few dozen kilometers from Bakhmut, Ukrainian infantry is training to get ready for the fierce battles to come.
Ukrainian soldiers practice shooting in Donetsk (Photo: Kyiv Independent).
Nearly 20 soldiers from a platoon of Ukraine’s 80th Air Assault Brigade gathered at a secret location in Donetsk province on their day off to practice shooting.
They have just returned from a two-day battle on the Bakhmut front, which is witnessing the fiercest fighting in Ukraine.
`We practice regularly to avoid losing combat skills and continue to improve those skills. Then starting tomorrow, we will return to the (front lines) and continue performing missions
`The situation is not easy, but we are making efforts and we are ready for any scenario of this war,` Vladyslav added.
Vladyslav said five hours is not enough to learn a new skill, but it is important for soldiers to work as a team, even on their days off.
`The first and most important thing to gain from this training is cohesion,` Vladyslav emphasized.
In recent weeks, Russia has increased its attacks on Bakhmut and almost surrounded the eastern Ukrainian city.
Trained soldiers are often deployed north of Bakhmut, conducting attacks whenever possible to liberate positions outside the city.
Ruslan and his infantrymen usually stayed only two days on the Bakhmut front, then rested for a day at a relatively safe distance.
According to Ruslan, while he was fighting in Bakhmut, Russian troops often began attacking after 4 a.m. in small groups of about 10 people.
The number of hours that Ruslan and other soldiers conducted offensive or defensive missions on the Bakhmut front varied from day to day.
When returning from the Bakhmut front, no matter how tired they were, every day the soldiers had to go to the shooting range at least once to practice their gun skills.
Standing next to the shooting range, platoon leader Vladyslav observed the soldiers practicing on their own.
Vladyslav admitted the soldiers were tired, but the prospect of the war ending gave them motivation.