Burning tanks, detonated mines: Ukraine attempts to reclaim lost areas in Donetsk | Ground report

The Ukrainian forces, fighting to keep off the Russians, have planted land mines along key roads to stop the march of Russian troops and vehicles.

The strategic road connecting rebel-held Donetsk to Ukraine’s Mariupol is lined by little danger signs: the familiar skull-and-crossbones emblem. The land on either side of the eerily empty roads is almost barren and burnt in patches.

The Ukrainian forces, fighting to keep off the Russians, had planted land mines in the area to stop Russian troops and vehicles from getting close to the port-city. However, the Russians, now aware of the enemy’s tricks, come prepared with equipment that can spot a mine from afar and prevent the forces from blowing to bits.

As the Russians move along, they also detonate these mines for the reinforcement to have a smooth passage. The areas where mines have been detonated are the ones that appear burnt.

This way, Russia looks to maintain control of the crucial road.

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At Mariinka in Donetsk, the Ukrainian forces are fighting hard to regain control from the Russians. Burnt buses and artillery carriers lie scattered all around in this region.

At a village, not very far away from where the Ukrainians have been pushed back by the Russians, army vehicles continue to burn as bombings and shelling continue.