‘The Russian troops have advanced unexpectedly quickly’: our journalist follows Russian advance in Ukrainian villages

Where are you now?

“I just got back from Kramatorsk and arrived in Kharkiv. Kramatorsk is 50 kilometers from Chasiv Yar, where there is heavy fighting. The Russians are currently making little progress, but analysts do not rule out that the town could fall in a few weeks. There are 20,000 to 25,000 Russian soldiers in the town, and they are greatly outnumbered by the Ukrainian army, as was also the case in Avdiivka.

“Ukrainian soldiers tell us they are doing what they can, but they have no idea what the coming weeks will bring. The situation is extremely tense. In Konstantinovka, 10 kilometers from Chasiv Yar, they realize that they will be next when Chasiv Yar falls. The population in Kramatorsk and Slovyansk is also very concerned.”

The most recent victory of the Russians is the town of Ocheretyne, a little further south. What is the situation there?

“The Russian troops advanced there unexpectedly quickly. If you look at the map you will see that they have moved quite a bit to the west. The next city in sight is Pokrovsk, 25 kilometers west. I spoke to residents who have already fled to the west as a precaution.

“The Russian troops are currently advancing to the flanks of Ocheretyne. If they can take it, it seems likely that they will advance as far as the road connecting Pokrovks to Konstantinovka. That would mean a great loss for the Ukrainian army. The situation there is also extremely tense.”

Some of the American weapons are said to have arrived in Ukraine. Have the military in Donbas said anything about that?

“On Sunday the first anti-tank weapons, rockets and 155-millimeter artillery shells arrived according to The New York Times. A second part arrived on Monday, including Patriot missiles. In Ukraine itself they keep quiet about it for security reasons. The soldiers we spoke to say they are looking forward to it, but at the same time they are cynical and have something like: first see and then believe.”

Russia is threatening exercises with nuclear tactical weapons in the hope of stopping Western interference in Ukraine. Do they take that threat seriously there?

“No, no one really cares about it. It is yet another threat from the Kremlin and it is not being taken seriously.”

Attacks on Kharkiv have also increased again. What do you notice about that?

“The air raid sirens are constantly going off and the city is in darkness, the street lights are off. Eighty percent of energy supplies in the Kharkiv region have been destroyed by Russian attacks in recent weeks. The suburbs are deserted, but the center is still quite busy.

“In the meantime, the city is regularly bombarded with drones, missiles and the infamous Russian hover bombs. Last Sunday, on the Orthodox Easter day of Ukrainians, 16 residents were injured by rocket attacks.”

You yourself witnessed a rocket attack close by. What happened?

“We drove on the ring road around Kharkiv on Saturday afternoon, on the way to Kramatorsk. We stopped at a gas station and had just ordered a coffee when there was a loud explosion, very close by. Outside we saw a huge cloud of smoke, 150 to 200 meters away I think. Because the Russians often have a ‘double tap‘, a second bombing at the same place to hit the emergency services, it was not a smart move to linger in a gas station. If a second bomb were to fall and land on the pumping station, the explosion would be gigantic.

“We got into the car and drove away, terrified. Later we heard that it was a ballistic missile attack, the thing had landed on a factory where they process meat. Russia mainly targets industrial districts to hit the Ukrainian economy and infrastructure. The impact caused a huge fire in the factory that was only brought under control around midnight.”