Ukrainian soldiers on Donetsk frontline demand more weapons as Russia continues attacks

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Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the front lines in Donetsk, Donbas region, say more weapons are urgently needed to repel Russia’s aggression and territorial advances.

They claim that the situation is “very difficult” and that the Kremlin is accumulating its forces and preparing for new assaults and the occupation of territories.

The soldiers have been on one of the most active fronts of this war for a long time, almost three years. They say rotations are necessary to maintain efficiency, but in the meantime they are staying put and continuing to defend their country.

“The youngest is 21 years old. He has been in the war for almost three years. He is an artilleryman. And the guys here are such that they do not feel fear, they are real heroes. They are not afraid of anything “, explains Anatolii, howitzer commander of the 26th artillery brigade.

Soldiers say they need more NATO-standard howitzers, equipped with 155mm shells. They claim that these shells are very effective on the battlefield.

The declared range is 42 km for a conventional model and 60 km for a rocket-assisted projectile. These munitions will allow Ukrainian troops to repel Russian advances and protect their territory from a distance.

Latest news from the battlefield

Meanwhile, the situation on the ground continues to be dire. Russian forces carried out a drone attack on the Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv on Wednesday, injuring two civilians.

The attack led to power and heating outages in some homes. According to authorities, falling debris cut off gas supplies to 14 consumers, while around a hundred others lost access to electricity. More than 20 residential buildings were left without heat during the cold winter months.

Regional authorities say they are inspecting all bombing sites to determine what equipment is needed to help people whose homes have been damaged. 45 rescuers and almost a dozen special vehicles were deployed to the site to eliminate the consequences of the attacks.

Moscow also targeted Sumy in another wave of attacks. According to Ukrainian authorities, at least three people were injured, including a five-year-old child.

The Kremlin fired Iranian-made Shahed drones late Tuesday evening, while people were resting at home. According to eyewitnesses, everything happened very quickly and civilians did not have time to react to the noise of the approaching drones.

More than 40 buildings were damaged, including some residential ones, as well as a production facility.

Local authorities deployed rescue workers and volunteers to clean up the sites of the attack. Authorities say they are still assessing the level of damage, but have temporarily remedied some of it, including sealing broken windows and repairing roofs.

Is the end of the war imminent?

The war caused damage to Ukrainian infrastructure estimated at 146 billion euros. The World Bank had already estimated, at the start of 2024, that the cost of reconstruction and recovery would exceed 485 billion dollars (466 billion euros) over a period of ten years. These figures will probably be revised upwards when experts analyze the damage again.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Davos, Switzerland, where he met with leaders on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum to encourage support for his country’s fight against Russia.

In doing so, US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose heavy taxes, tariffs and sanctions on Russia if a deal to end the war is not reached. A warning that risks falling on deaf ears in the Kremlin.

Washington already bans the import of virtually all Russian products, with Moscow hit by a slew of US and European sanctions after launching its all-out invasion of kyiv in February 2022.