Residents of a town neighbouring Mariupol ready themselves for Russian missile and rocket attacks.
At a vantage point somewhere between the southern Ukrainian cities of Zaporizhzhia and Mariupol, next to one of the last checkpoints before Russian-held territory, Sergei scans the endless flatlands - the rich, fertile farmland that Russia now wants for itself.
"I used to work as fire engine driver, then I took up arms to protect my homeland. We know what's happening [in Mariupol] and we must not let that happen here. These people in this town know that we're here for them."Sergei, 62, does not want his town to have a similar fate to Mariupol which has been bombarded for weeks
There are few words that can accurately describe the horrors inflicted on Mariupol and the 100,000 people trapped inside the city. Images snatched by drivers able to flee, often past unburied bodies lying in the streets, show a catastrophic landscape, shredded by Russian artillery. "There are no shortage of volunteers and reservists in this region wanting to avenge what's happening in Mariupol," says Major Serhiii Koba, who is in charge of a Ukrainian army unit. He spoke to the BBC as a large group of men were cleaning their rifles and kit - exhausted after almost three weeks on the front.
The Ukrainian forces aren't having it all their own way, despite the Russian advance having stalled on the ground in recent days.The BBC team met a unit training underground in a location that cannot be disclosed for security reasons
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