In cold wind and rain, in frost and blizzard, Ukrainian troops continue holding the 420-kilometer-long front of Russia’s war in Donbas.
This deadly, grueling standoff has been on for six years, ever since mid-February 2015, when the tragic battle of Debaltseve froze the existing front line and spelled to end to mobile warfare in the region.
Years after, the mission is still not to let the enemy claim even more of the Ukrainian land — as politicians and diplomats continue negotiating a bitter peace with the Kremlin.
No end of the slow-paced war is seen in sight, and Ukrainian soldiers pay the price.
Numerous peace initiatives, such as the “longest ceasefire” strongly advocated by President Volodymyr Zelensky and continuing since July 27, couldn’t stop the killings.
While international monitors register a 55% decrease in the intensity of hostilities as compared with 2020, Ukrainian defenders still sustain casualties in sporadic clashes with Russian-backed militants — increasingly frequently in 2021.
As the front line stands still and the formal cease fire is still in force, the drone war and sniper duels rage on.
At least 10 Ukrainian soldiers and officers were killed in combat amid the dubious armistice since July 27.
