- A Ukrainian soldier said over 100 of his comrades were killed or went missing in an attack.
- His brigade was moved to a position that had hardly any fortifications, the Associated Press reported.
- It had to retreat as soldiers struggled to build fortifications under Russian fire, the report said.
A Ukrainian soldier fighting on a key battlefront in the country's east described how more than 100 of his comrades were killed or went missing as they struggled to build fortifications under heavy Russian fire.
The soldier, from Ukraine's 67th Separate Mechanized Brigade, spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity to share the situation on the front line.
The news agency reported that the brigade was rotated in mid-March to hold a position less than two miles from the strategic city of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk.
Instead of the dugouts, maze of trenches, and firing positions he'd anticipated, the soldier found a series of pits that were hardly big enough to hide in during artillery barrages, the AP reported.
"I would be hard-pressed to describe them as positions," the soldier said.
When the brigade came under Russian fire, "soldiers would climb out of pits and start digging in each other's direction so that there is at least some connection between them," he said.
But the land was so sandy the defenses would crumble as soon as shells struck them, the AP reported.
With nowhere to take cover and no means to counter the Russian barrage, the soldiers were forced to retreat, the report said.
The soldier said more than 100 were left dead or missing, including department commanders, platoon commanders, company commanders, and sergeants.
"We lost the entire skeleton of the brigade," he said.
The brigade was dissolved by Ukraine's General Staff following its retreat in early April, with commanders saying they lacked the resources to succeed, the AP reported.
The situation around Chasiv Yar has grown desperate for Ukraine, with Russia dropping glide bombs on Ukrainian positions to devastating effect and outfiring Ukrainian forces by a 10 to 1 ratio.
The Institute for the Study of War said Wednesday that Russian forces were trying to take advantage of a tactical breakthrough northwest of Avdiivka to create a larger breach and take Chasiv Yar before US aid to Ukraine reached the front lines.
The ISW said any redeployment of Russian units to the area would put Ukrainian forces under "increasing" pressure.
