As Russian forces press their offensive in Ukraine, fierce battles are taking place in the northeastern region of Kharkiv, where a Russian mortarman describes relentless fighting and heavy casualties.
As the conflict in Ukraine continues, Russian military forces have intensified their targets on the area surrounding Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city. The battles in the northeastern region have been particularly intense, with a Russian mortarman describing unrelenting fighting and heavy casualties.
"The situation is difficult, the intensity is very high, there is fighting almost every ten minutes," said the mortarman, who identified himself only by his callsign, Winnie. He is a member of the Freedom of Russia Legion, a group of Russians opposed to President Vladimir Putin who are fighting for Ukraine.
Ukraine has deployed reinforcements, including the Freedom of Russia Legion and two other units composed of Russian nationals, to bolster its defense against the Russian incursion into the northern reaches of the Kharkiv region that began nearly a week ago.
Winnie describes the Russian losses as Moscow's infantry attempts to advance deeper into Ukraine. "It's an unbelievable meat grinder that they're still (sending) their people into," he said. Both sides claim the other is suffering heavy casualties, but these claims cannot be independently verified.
The Freedom of Russia Legion's deputy commander Maksimilian Andronikov, known by his callsign Caesar, notes that Russian fighters have become more innovative in their tactics. "They've learnt the lessons of the war, they're using rather intelligent tactics," he said.
One concerning innovation is the increased use of aerial bombs, which can carry hundreds of kilograms of explosives. Russia possesses vast stocks of these relatively inexpensive bombs from the Soviet era.
"Today, four guided aerial bombs came in, about 500 meters away. I was on the ground, and it started vibrating, I was thrown upwards - and I'm not small," Winnie said.
The Russian assault, which is advancing towards the towns of Lyptsi and Vovchansk north of Kharkiv, has reportedly seen Russian forces advancing several kilometers in some areas, one of the fastest advances either side has seen since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
Andronikov acknowledges the Russian advantage in manpower, despite having fewer vehicles than before. However, he emphasizes the significant imbalance in artillery and FPV drones in favor of the Russians.
"We feel the deficit. We understand well that if it didn't exist, the enemy wouldn't have these successes here or in the Donbas," he said.
He criticizes the restrictions imposed by some Ukrainian allies on the use of their weapons to strike Russia, arguing that it limits Kyiv's ability to fight back on the northern front where the lines are close to Russian territory.
"It's a problem. There is a whole list of weapons which we receive, but until recently we didn't have the right to use them on the territory of Russia… with impunity, the enemy is using the fact that Russian territory can't be hit."
Ukrainian soldiers have expressed frustration over the restriction, seeing it as a shield for Russian forces to launch attacks from across the border without risking their logistics.
