A huge chunk of the industrial heartland has already gone to the Russian military, allowing President Vladimir Putin to declare a major victory after his troops seized the Luhansk region by capturing the city of Lysychansk, the last Ukrainian stronghold there. The Russians already control most of Donetsk, the latter half of Donbas, and signs are that they are moving to claim the rest of it. Ukrainian flag fell on Snake Island – live updates In recent days we have already seen increased attacks on the towns of Sloviansk and Bakhmut in the Donetsk region – and the frontline towns of Krasnohorivka and Marinka are also particularly vulnerable. The regions have been hotly contested for the past eight years and Putin launched his “special military operation” in February after unilaterally declaring Donetsk and Luhansk “independent”. The governor of Luhansk, Serhiy Haidai, said: “The loss of the Luhansk region is painful because it is the territory of Ukraine. For me personally, this is special. This is the homeland where I was born and I am also the head of the region.” Ukrainian troops we spoke to told us time and time again that they feel outmatched and overwhelmed by the superior numbers of heavy Russian artillery they are being bombarded with. They hope the arrival of foreign-supplied heavy artillery from America and Europe can help them turn the tide, but it may have come too late for the Ukrainians to hold Donbas. We are the first British journalists to be given access to see the French-made Caesar shells now being used to try to contain the Russian army in the Donbas. Image: French-made Caesar shells being used to try to contain the Russian army in Donbass French President Emmanuel Macron has already supplied 12 Caesars and, after the G7 summit, pledged to supply six more. Heavy artillery is highly valued for its accuracy and can reach targets much further away – up to 30 miles away. Ukrainian troops from the 55th Brigade that we observed using the Caesars told us that the howitzers are much more versatile and give them a mobility that helps protect the crew. The gun can be ready to fire in about 60 seconds, and in even less time (about 40 seconds) it can be on the move again to keep away from enemy fire. Image: Map of eastern Ukraine on the 131st day of the war The truck’s commander said his men spent 10 days learning how to operate the armored truck in France. “What we need is more weapons like this,” he told us. “More people to help us train. All we need is more ammo and then we’ll do everything else ourselves.” They know they’re on the back foot right now, but there’s still a very high level of optimism about the long-term future here, and he had this message for Russians who are still busy celebrating the capture of Luhansk. “Not for long,” says the commander. “We’re going to kick you out and take it all back.” For those cities directly across the Russian Line of Control, where they have been fighting for the past eight years, the immediate future looks decidedly bleak. We saw boxes of aid being unloaded for the residents of Krasnohorivka and watched as aid workers went through a long list of some 6,000 people who say they are in desperate need of help. One of them is Valentina, who tells us that she saw her neighbor die the day before, after a shell fell near her house. Residents feel caught in the middle of this land grab and are under attack from both sides. Picture: Valentina saw her neighbor die after a shell fell near her house He said: “When you’re in the underground, you’re afraid. It’s fear and horror. Just horror.” We asked her who she thought attacked her. “They say he’s coming from that side (points one way) but we think he’s coming from the other side (gestures in the opposite direction). It’s hard to know. It’s just scary and I mean, he just wants peace… » Her voice breaks and she cries shamelessly about the miserable situation here. We see a hospital that has been bombed repeatedly. It is barely functioning, has few patients and even fewer medical staff, with drugs running out quickly. Read more: What will happen to Donbass now that Luhansk has fallen to Russia? Russians ‘worn out’ in Lysychansk, intelligence expert says Ukrainian citizens are learning the hard way that mines will take years to clear At Marinka, which is even closer to the Russian troops, they say the Russians are using all kinds of artillery and all kinds of rockets. Police showed us parts of what they say are aerial bombs used to launch phosphorus, an explosive that produces a longer-lasting flame that sticks to its target. Image: A Ukrainian policeman shows unexploded ordnance Again, we saw very familiar and terrifying Russian tactics – hit, hit, hit, destroy and level, then slowly move on. They are tactics that are proving successful in the Donbass, which has seen some of the fiercest fighting since the war began in February, and where Putin has concentrated his military power after failing to capture the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early. Alex Crawford’s crew includes cinematographer Jake Britton and producers Chris Cunningham, Artem Lysak, Jake Jacobs, Misha Cherniak and Misha Petrenko.
