There is no end in sight to the fighting on the Donetsk front – El País

Ukrainian soldiers want the conflict to end as soon as possible but do not believe in negotiations with Russia.

This is reported by El País.

Readers of the publication, on the other hand, believe that Kyiv should enter negotiations immediately, arguing that Ukrainians are dying not for their country but for the interests of a “Russophobic NATO.”

Both military personnel and civilians who have experienced the horrors of the front are wary of any peace agreements with Russia.

Thousands of kilometers from the frontlines, Ukraine’s allies discuss various options for ending the conflict from their luxurious mansions. Meanwhile, in difficult and freezing conditions in cities and towns of the Donetsk region—such as Pokrovsk, Kurakhove, Velyka Novosilka, and Chasiv Yar—where Russia is pressuring Ukrainian forces in some of the most intense battles of late 2023, neither civilians nor soldiers see an end to the war. Scared and exhausted, people want the fighting to stop now, but they remain deeply suspicious of Russia. They believe that any ceasefire would allow the enemy to regroup, replenish ammunition, and return with renewed strength to achieve their ultimate goal: capturing the entire country.

The situation on the eastern front, where Russia is advancing faster than at any time since February 2022, remains dire. Russian forces are now just a few kilometers away from Pokrovsk, a key logistical hub in the Donetsk region. This is where “the heaviest fighting” of recent months is taking place, according to Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, last week.

He reported that Russian losses amount to about **400 soldiers killed and wounded per day**, but did not provide data on Ukrainian casualties.

In Pokrovsk, only about 11,000 residents remain from the pre-war population of 60,000.

Marina Volodymyrova, 28, was evacuated last Wednesday after spending several days without electricity, water, or gas. Recalling the horror and cold, she described constant shelling, shattered windows in her house, an empty city, and rockets flying overhead whenever she stepped outside.