Jonathan Beale
Defense correspondent, BBC News
Report from Ukrainematthew Goddard
Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield say they don’t expect to see the end of the war soon
Moscow is considering a temporary ceasefire, but its military machinery continues to push its advantages on the frontline. Diplomatic negotiations can be slow and difficult. But on the battlefield, they can measure with lost lives.
At military hospitals in eastern Ukraine, injured people arrive in the waves by ambulance. Here there is a clear disconnect between diplomacy taking place, its distant distance from the battle, and the atrocities of battle. There, bombs and bullets still destroy, shredded and damaged human bodies.
We watch 20 more injured Ukrainian soldiers loaded onto the bus and taken to a hospital in Dnipro. The bus is equipped with medical equipment and monitors the injured as they drive fast on the road where the injured are hiding.
The man on board was not seriously injured. Most of them are hit by sh shotguns. The cause is often the drone, the most prolific and feared weapon on the frontline.
No one spoke to us to believe that this war would soon be over. The 30-year-old Maksym is on an IV dripping stretcher to relieve some of the pain from some rap shotgun wounds on his body. He says he’s heard about a temporary 30-day ceasefire, but adds, “President Putin is a murderer and I don’t think the murderer would agree that easily.”
Matthew Goddard
Ukrainian soldier Maksym has several rap shotgun scratches and is given painkillers via IV drip
Sitting nearby, Vova says, “I don’t believe it.” He says that near the besieged city of Pokrovsk, they faced daily Russian storm attacks. “I don’t think there’s a truce,” he told me.
Another soldier named Maksym says this is the second time he has been injured. “I don’t think there’s a ceasefire,” he says. “We had a lot of friends who weren’t with us anymore.
“I want to believe everything is good. But you can’t trust Russia. Never.”
The large medical buses are run by a Ukrainian volunteer Army Medical Battalion known as Hospitallers. They transport scores of wounded soldiers every day.
A 22-year-old medical student, Sofiia has been working with the team for the past 18 months. She is also skeptical of the possibility of a ceasefire: “I can’t believe it, but I really hope it happens,” she says.
She says that when she first heard the news that the US and Ukraine had agreed to press for a ceasefire, Russian drones were flying through their bases and are engaged in Ukraine’s air defense. To her, speaking is from a parallel universe.
Sofia says, “It’s good that Ukraine and the United States are talking again, at least.” But when it comes to hopes of a ceasefire, she points to her recent past.
“If you look at all the ceasefire calls we had in the past, they didn’t work. How does this work?” she asks.
Her fellow medic Daniel joined the Swedish hospitality. He says he understands what it is like when a small country is attacked by a huge neighbor. His grandfather fought Finland and Russia during World War II. History is important.
When Daniel first arrived in Ukraine, he had asked the wounded soldiers after the war what to do. He’s no longer there. “No one wants to answer that,” he says.
Daniel has not ruled out a ceasefire. But he adds:
Ukraine has had many bitter experiences of negotiating with Russia. France and Germany brokered a ceasefire in 2014 and 2015, when Russian support forces first acquired parts of Eastern Ukraine and Crimea. They didn’t go well. Also, they did not stop Russia from carrying out a full-scale invasion of Ukraine eight years later.
Matthew Goddard
Ivan wears a patch of stars and stripes in his uniform
There may be a story of peace, but the people of Ukraine’s 68th Jaeger Brigade are still preparing for war. We watch them rehearse their training and evacuate wounded soldiers under fire. Most of them had already had to actually do that.
In the distance, you can hear the shelling rumble. It’s only 10 miles to the front line and will soon be back.
They have heard little of the recent positive news. The Ukrainian army is overrunning at Kursk. That surprising attack on Russian territory last August seemed like a tactical glow move – boosting morale. Now they are at risk of becoming a major strategic set-off.
Kursk may soon not become a negotiation tip for future negotiations, but the loss of valuable Ukrainian equipment and life creates a heavy burden.
One of the few positives is that the US is resuming military support. That’s important for the 67th Brigade, which operates American-made equipment. They are drilling on maxxpro armored vehicles provided by the US.
Ivan, the driver, wearing a small American patch in his uniform, says he was relieved that the Trump administration has agreed to reverse the bloc. His vehicle needs regular repairs. “I want them to continue to help,” he says.
However, Ivan is still unsure whether President Trump can be trusted.
“I have doubts,” he says. As for trusting President Putin, he answers: “No.” Here, even a temporary ceasefire feels like a long way.
