New trenches, concrete blocks, sandbags and multiple checkpoints. Kharkivin northeastern Ukraine, which had repulsed Russia’s first attack in February, did not lower the guard and fix your defense against a possible secondary attack.

A pink teddy bear marks the entrance to a newly dug trench northeast of Kharkov, Ukraine’s second largest city. The ground was still dark and damp and the soldiers were resting in the sun.

The fence was loosened around the regional capital, located about 50 km from the Russian border. But the city knows that is permanently threatened and organized a second line of defense behind the front lines.

On February 24, the day of the Russian invasion, “we had no positions. Our fighters were lying on the side of the road, behind mounds and firing from there. But now we have trenches, well-protected ones. place. The Russians will not be able to take this position “, assured the” doctor “, a nurse from the National Guard, who agreed to show a part of the device, which was military secrets.

Near the entrance, a car can be seen with the words “Skill to kill” (enabled to kill).

Located east of Kharkov, another trench, also excavated recently, starts from a house burned during the first attack and zigzags south, without a straight line, to limit the damage that can be caused by projectile collapse.

The trench becomes a maze which the soldiers did not want to show. However, later you can see the positions reinforced by the concrete blocks. On the ground they put wooden pallets so that they could walk without getting stuck in the mud in case it rained.

“Now our troops are on the counter-offensive, driving the enemy back,” said the “doctor.” The Russians withdrew a portion of their troops and assigned them to the south and east of Ukraine.

“We can handle artillery fire, we are here and we will not let them capture the city“, He says.

Sandbags to protect yourself

Kharkiv is still within the gun range and it rains bullets on the city every night. The inhabitants have already learned to live with the noise of Russian and Ukrainian artillery explosions.

Outside the city, civilians – men and women – are helping troops fill sandbags to defend checkpoints.

“We have a problem, we’re at war,” a soldier joked as he inspected a vehicle and refused to let him in.

Ukraine is also eagerly awaiting the help promised by Western countries, including “American weapons that will help us win,” said a resident who has lived at a subway station since the war began.

The “doctor” was positive about the outcome of the conflict. “The Russians were watching us with drones and they knew where we were. And we knew where they were, and soon they were no longer there,” he said, certain that the Russian troops would have to retreat.

“We have been holding this position for three months. Everyone is ready and willing to fight. I am a nurse and I talk to everyone every day. I can tell you that no one will escape. We are the National Guard, we will hold the position and the city to the end! ” he added.

Source: AFP

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