The gunners of Ukraine's 25th Airborne Brigade are constantly fending off Russian advances near Pokrovsk, like many such artillery teams.
But this unit in particular has a taste for irony -- they are operating artillery captured from the Russian Army, turning the 152-millimeter cannon on Russian troops and vehicles every day.
“We can’t stay in one place for long,” a soldier tells RFE/RL Ukrainian Service correspondent Yevhenia Rusetska, explaining that their shelling hits have not gone unnoticed by Russian commanders.
Thus, changing locations constantly is a critical part of the unit’s success and security.
They are also greatly outgunned, said a Ukrainian soldier with the call sign “Manul.”
The Ukrainian military says that more than 100 combat clashes occur with Russian forces along Ukraine’s eastern front every day.
Russian forces have been moving incrementally closer to Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region since July 2024, which makes for some of their most significant territorial gains over the past few months, according to official sources.
But the advance has cost Russians high numbers of personnel and equipment, according to analysts cited by the BBC.
“They have more long-range munitions than we do and can fire as far as they want,” Manul explained. “Roughly, if we fire one shell, they fire ten in return.”
But camouflage, mobility, and drone intelligence have kept the Ukrainian unit alive and functioning, he added.
When the unit needs to move without being seen, they find it effective to wait for "the gray zone," as the military calls the logistical window at the time of day when drones are least effective.
The gunners have also become adept at operating their trophy weapon -- a Msta-S artillery piece left behind by the Russians and recovered near Izyum.
These days, the gun remains quite connected to the Russian Army – though likely not in the way Moscow planners ever intended.
The artillery holds back daily Russian advances by small, disorganized teams of foot soldiers, motorcycle-mounted patrols and the occasional armored vehicle, say the Ukrainian gunners.
During long summer days, the invaders are often clearly visible in open fields, making steady, if unsuccessful moves in the areas around Pokrovsk.
The city has been nearly surrounded by Russian forces for months and has been subject to thousands of Russian artillery rounds but control of Pokrovsk remains in Ukrainian hands.
During one recent attack by Russian soldiers on motorcycles, as a Ukrainian soldier named Serhiy explained, “the invaders didn’t succeed.”
“We threw everything we had at them: artillery, grenades dropped from drones, FPV drones, and large bomber drones,” he said.
As Serhiy surveyed the screens relaying drone camera images of the Russians, following a series of targeted Ukrainian defense hits, he asked a comrade about the status of the group of invaders.
“Any movement in the field?”
“No,” came the reply. “No movement.”
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