Here, people fight for their lives, for every manifestation of it'

In the trenches near the front line, a Ukrainian soldier reveals his full potential

- Yegor Firsov

An infantryman's least favourite weather is a temperature of 1.6 deg C and pouring rain, when the trench floods with knee-deep, near-freezing water. Surviving in such conditions is truly an art and it is at these moments in particular that a trench has a special energy.

Here, people fight for their lives, for every manifestation of it. Here, communion with God is sincere and more frequent than in any church.

Near the front lines, everyone sets up their trench like it is their little home away from home. There are sleeping bags, ammunition and food, of course. But people also keep books and affix drawings by their children to the walls.

Sometimes enemy forces are close enough that we can see them without binoculars. Sometimes they are just metres away.

Our task is to "hold the fort" and in this common expression lies the main idea of war: not to yield your land to the enemy. So when shelling starts, a soldier cannot just take cover; he must also make sure the enemy does not move forward. As a rule, that is exactly what happens: When the enemy begins to shell, its infantry starts to advance.

One day, our positions were bombarded with 120mm mortars for several hours. When the barrage started, it was terrifying.