Ukraine's 58th Brigade In The Heart Of The Bakhmut Mire

In the east Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, 15 kilometres (nine miles) from the positions held by Russian forces, an artillery unit waits for the signal. The four soldiers duck and put their hands over their ears. "According to the coordinates we received, the target is infantry," says Oleksandr, 37, between two radioed orders. Around 30 seconds later, the 50 kilo (110-pound) "fragmentation" shell, pinched from the Russians after their retreat from a nearby town, will explode above the position held by Moscow's troops, showering them with its payload. A Ukrainian drone supports the operation "in real time", monitoring the effectiveness of the strike from the old Soviet D-20 cannon in order to better calibrate the next one.