You can't see the Russians from the forest floor, but you can definitely hear them in the pine trees growing north of Kubyansk.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that their soldiers were “concentrating maximum reserves” in the region.
This is the challenge that members of the Ukrainian 32nd Brigade, charged with defending the region, will face.
They took us to a command center located a few kilometers from the front, and we found a series of long faces and stern gazes in their cramped underground cabin.
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“They are storming us, breaking through the barbed wire so they can pass through,” said a tired-looking soldier named Sasha.
He told us that the Russians had been attacking their positions once or twice a day, but now the attacks were continuing.
Sasha says the Russian attacks are continuing now
Unit members also spoke of severe ammunition shortages.
I asked them: “When Ukraine fires an artillery shell, how many shells do the Russians send?”
“One to ten,” said one of them. Another said: “Yes, from one to ten.”
Drones give the brigade a bird's-eye view of the forest but sometimes serve to highlight anomalies.
“They have their planes, helicopters, jets, laser bombs and Grad missiles. They use everything along our front line,” Sasha said.
The unit only has grenades for a few minutes of combat
President Zelensky is desperate to reset and rearm the Ukrainian military, and has warned that an “artificial deficit” in weapons gives Russia room to attack.
Senior US military officials agree, insisting that the tide could be turning to Putin's “huge advantage”, with $60 billion in US funding halted due to former President Donald Trump's supporters in Congress.
Zelensky made his point when we found members of an anti-tank unit struggling to operate their only rocket launcher.
Screwdrivers and a hammer were used to bring the Soviet-era bazooka to life.
Unit leader 'August' says they are running out of ammunition
The commander, who called himself “August,” said weapon reliability was an issue but the lack of grenades was a much bigger headache.
“Do you have enough ammo?” I asked.
“No, not enough. We have enough for 12, 13, 15 minutes (of fighting). That's all.”
“After 12 minutes, what's next?” I asked.
“We'll take a machine gun and shoot with it,” he answered in a dark voice.
