Russia slowly gains ground in eastern Donbas region

Russian forces are slowly gaining ground in the eastern Donbas region. The Russian army occupy the northside of Donets River - a few hundred meters from Ukrainian trenches on the southside. The key cites of Soledar and Bakhmut in the Donbas region are being heavily shelled, and people live in fear of continuous bombardment.

In Soledar, people only leave their apartment blocks for emergencies. The odd car can be seen on the deserted streets and the threat of shell or rocket fire is constant, with bomb fragments pock-marking the roads. There's no power or water in Soledar and residents are terrified, camping next to their bomb shelters. One woman says she's no longer living, only surviving in an endless nightmare.

"What can I tell you? How can we live here when they are shooting or shelling on you head?", she said. Military analysts believe Russian forces are focusing their efforts on capturing the cities of Bakhmut and Siversk in Donetsk province. Bakhmut is slowly being crushed by shells and rockets are landing there every day.

One man, who will only give his name as Ruslan, says he wants Ukraine to win but more than that he wants peace and stability - even if it means conceding territory and living under Russian occupation. "They should've given all the territory (Donbas) in the beginning. They could avoid many victims," he said.

People in Bakhmut already know what Russia will do to achieve its ends, with civilian targets often hit. The local school lies in ruins; smashed in an airstrike. There are reminders of what life was once like, with pictures of school children hanging on the walls amidst the rubble. But now there's only the sound of violence here, with the war looking unlikely to end anytime soon.