Ukrainian soldiers defending the practically deserted city of Lysychansk in the east are preparing for further Russian assaults, while exhausted forces engaged in a grinding war of attrition struggle to maintain morale.

The frontline of the battle is now being waged in the woods and on the streets of Donbas, the former industrial powerhouse that Vladimir Putin has sworn to “liberate.”

Nevertheless, according to Global Security Editor Rohit Kachroo, the Ukrainian opposition remains defiant in the face of attack, even though some soldiers are fighting with obsolete weaponry.

There are reports of the Ukrainian military launching rockets at locations from which they believe Ukrainian towns are being assaulted.

As the strikes intensified, many people ran, and Rohit Kachroo noticed a residential structure struck only a few hundred meters away from where he and his team were standing.

The eerie calm was broken by explosions nearby.

Those who have remained in Lysychansk despite the continual fear of harm have retreated underground, where it is always nighttime.

Valentina did not leave her small family since she did not want to be a burden.

“I’ve lived my entire life here, so why should I leave?” she asked.

“The grandmothers are in prayer. We fear because we are human; we experience fear.”

Capturing Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk would grant Russia nearly all of Luhansk oblast, one of the two Donbas regions.

Since the invasion began in February, the seasons have changed twice.

Some Ukrainian soldiers are growing fatigued as they miss their families, even though many are still willing to defend their country.