Soldiers reflect on life on the Donetsk frontline скачать в хорошем качестве

Soldiers reflect on life on the Donetsk frontline

(23 Jun 2023) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4441205 ASSOCIATED PRESS Donetsk region - 21 June 2023 1. Tracking shot of hills and a church from a vehicle HEADLINE: SOLIDERS REFLECT ON LIFE ON THE DONETSK FRONTLINE 2. Soldier in car ANNOTATION: Ukrainian soldiers are currently advancing along the southern and northern flanks of Bakhmut in an attempt to encircle Russian troops. 3. Tracking shot of a view outside ANNOTATION: The Associated Press visited one unit and spoke to soldiers about life on the frontline. 4. Soldier getting out of car and meeting another soldier 5. Soldier in a forest bringing a canister and greeting another soldier ANNOTATION: Soldiers said after 15 months of fighting, they are used to the sounds and routines of war. 6. Tracking shot of soldiers walking through the forest 7. Close of a soldiers loading bullets into machine gun belt 8. Machine gunner starts firing from a dugout 9. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Kolun (nom de guerre, no last name given), Soldier: "The service is a constant stress. But in general, it’s okay. Just like this, it goes on. You have to be constantly listening to what’s going on around." 10. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Borysovych (nom de guerre, no last name given), Soldier speaking without flinching as explosions sound nearby: ++SOUNDBITE PARTIALLY COVERED++ "A right to defend one’s motherland is not given to everyone; it is a great happiness. That’s why I have no regrets, instead, I only see 'pros'. Yes, it’s hard, it’s very hard, but this is the very meaning of this all – overcome all the difficulties, go through all these circles of hell. If God allows, we will go through it alive and well. I hope to lead as many of my boys as possible to victory, alive and well. We are like Samurais, ready to die any day. We know where we are." 11. Close of view through device 12. Various of soldiers sitting in dugout STORYLINE: Under the shade of trees, the Ukrainian soldiers wait by a trench as artillery fire booms in the distance in the volatile front near the salt-mining city of Bakhmut where fierce battles have been raging in the northern and southern flanks. The Associated Press visited a unit fighting on Wednesday and spoke to soldiers about the tireless monotony of frontline life. Soldiers said after 15 months of fighting they are used to the sounds and routines of war. Drones buzzed overhead all the time. They were tired, they said, but they kept up the fight. A Ukrainian soldier with the call sign Borysovych, 49, languidly rested a hand on his helmet as the explosions echoed nearby. He did not flinch. “Yes, it’s hard, it’s very hard, but this is the very meaning of all this – to overcome all the difficulties through all these circles of hell,” he said. In moments of respite, he listens to music. He especially likes the British band U2. Their music transports him to a road trip he took through Germany. In his previous life, Borysovych was an architect, but he joined the army when the war broke out and rose through the ranks to become a unit commander. “I hope to lead as many of my boys as possible to victory, alive and well, and everything else will be decided by God’s will, we’ll see,” he said. “We are like Samurais, ready to die any day.” Russia renewed attempts to advance along the line at a different position early that morning, the soldiers explained. Theirs is a supporting position, and as the battles ensue they wait for orders to engage. Russia claimed it had seized the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut in May after months of grueling and bloody battles, the war’s longest. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...