'Hell on earth': Ukrainian soldiers describe eastern front

There were torched forests and cities in the area. There are people with severed limbs. The only option is to lie in a trench.

The war of attrition in eastern Ukraine is described by Ukrainian soldiers as apocalyptic.

Some people complained of chaotic organization, desertions and mental health problems due to relentless shelling. Even as the better-equipped Russians control more of the combat zone, others said they were still fighting.

The second-in-command of the Ukrainian National Guard, Volodymyr Nazarenko, was with troops who were ordered to retreat. A city with a prewar population of 101,000 was turned into a burnt-down desert by Russian tanks during a month long battle.

Every day, they bombarded us. I don't want to say anything bad about it. "These were volleys of bullets at every building." The city was leveled out in a methodical way.

One of the two major cities under Ukrainian control in Luhansk province was Sievierodonetsk. The Ukrainians were surrounded by three sides by the time the order to withdraw came.

Artem Ruban, a soldier in Nazarenko's battalion, said that if there was a hell on earth, it was in Sievierodonetsk. Our boys were able to hold the city until the last moment because of their strength.

They had to fight in inhuman conditions. Ruban said it was difficult to explain what they felt like now or what it was like in the past. The people were fighting until the end. The goal was to destroy the enemy.

Despite the outcome of the operation, Nazarenko considers it a victory. He said the defenders were able to limit casualties while stalling the Russian advance for a long time.

The army incurred a lot of losses and their attack potential was destroyed.

Both the lieutenant and the soldier under his command were confident that Ukraine would win the war against Russia. They insisted there was still a high level of motivation. Other soldiers with no combat experience shared more pessimistic accounts while using only their first names to talk about their experiences.

Oleksiy, a member of the Ukrainian army, had just returned from the front with a limp. He said he was wounded in Zolote, a town that the Russians have occupied.

He doesn't think the delivery of more Western weapons would change the course of the war.

A few weeks ago, his battalion ran out of bullets. The soldiers were forced to stand up in the trenches at one point because of the relentless shelling.

The country has not provided the total number killed in action after a senior presidential aide reported last month that 100 to 200 Ukrainian troops were dying daily. He said his unit lost 150 men during the first three days of fighting.

He said wounded soldiers had to wait up to two days to be evacuated.

If you are broken, the commanders don't care. He said that if you have arms and legs, you have to go back in.

Mariia, a 41-year-old platoon commander who joined the Ukrainian army after working as a lawyer and giving birth to a daughter, said that the level of danger can vary greatly depending on a unit's location.

She said that places that became battlegrounds after Russia sent its troops in to invade are a different world.

Mariia, who refused to give her name for security reasons, said her husband is fighting in a hot spot. Her subordinates have kept their spirits up despite the fact that everyone misses and worries about their loved ones.

The descendants of Cossacks are free and brave. She said that it's in our blood. We are going to keep fighting.

Two other soldiers the AP talked to said they were sent to the front lines in the east after completing their initial training. Many people in their battalion refused to fight because of the terrible organization they observed.

A soldier said he smokes marijuana every day. I would desert if I didn't have that option. He said it was the only way he could survive.

Ukraine's battlefields are a completely different life, with a different value system and emotional highs, according to a former teacher who fought for his country.

There is joy and there is sadness. He said that everything is connected.

He has a good relationship with his colleagues. He saw fellow soldiers showing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

It's difficult to live under constant stress and sleep deprivation. You have to look at the dead and limbs with your own eyes. He said that it was unlikely that someone's mind could handle that.

The motivation to defend their country is still there.

We are prepared to fight and endure. The teacher spoke from a fishing store that was turned into a military distribution hub. If it's not me, who will protect my home and family?

The center in the city of Sloviansk provides local military units with equipment and provisions and gives soldiers a place to go during a brief respite from the physical grind and horrors of battle.

The center was set up when the war began. She says skilled special forces and war-hardened veterans are some of the types of soldiers that pass through.

He can be shy for the first time, but he can smile widely. There is emptiness in his eyes when he comes back. He has been through a lot and is different.

A group of young Ukrainian soldiers on rotation from the front lines sit and joke behind her. A few miles away, there is a loud sound of shelling.

Most of the time, they hope for the best. Sometimes they are sad, but we hope to raise their spirits here as well. They go back into the fields after we hug.

The last Ukrainian stronghold in Luhansk province was occupied by Russian forces on Sunday.

That's right.

Valerii Rezik made a contribution.

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The Russia-Ukraine war is covered by the AP.