--- description: Photographer Ross McDonnell reports from the frontlines of Eastern Ukraine's bitter war of attrition title: Go Inside the Frozen Trenches of Eastern Ukraine image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc678093308df1a76/6987802d35ba6f9391c072d1/61a0481.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [LightBox](/tag/time-section-lightbox/) ## LightBox Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Go Inside the Frozen Trenches of Eastern Ukraine by [Olivier Laurent](/author/olivier-laurent/) ## Olivier Laurent Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 20, 2015 4:39 PM CUT  Ukrainian soldiers conduct operations along the road in Artemivsk, Ukraine, Feb.15, 2015. Ukrainian soldiers conduct operations along the road in Artemivsk, Ukraine, Feb.15, 2015.Ross McDonnell by [Olivier Laurent](/author/olivier-laurent/) ## Olivier Laurent Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 20, 2015 4:39 PM CUT In the frozen landscapes of Eastern Ukraine, where government forces and pro-Russia fighters are fighting a bitter war of attrition, the specter of another vicious and unforgiving war looms. “Shortly before the ceasefire, the scene was reminiscent of a World War I battleground,” says photographer Ross McDonnell, who has spent the last two weeks working along the Ukrainian front lines in Donetsk and Luhansk. “\[There was\] a lot of heavy shelling all day and all night, with tactical machine and mortar fire from open trenches on what was once the main road to Donetsk.” McDonnell stayed in those trenches, near Shastya, a small town whose name means “Happiness.” For its inhabitants, however, the last few months have offered anything but joy, as it has repeatedly exchanged hands between the separatists and pro-government forces. For the Irish photographer, who’s been covering the conflict since the first days of the Maidan revolution in early 2014, the goal now is to present a snapshot of the day-to-day life on the battlefield from the Ukrainian side. “There’s a sense of daily life in the trenches \[establishing itself\],” he says. “Many of the fighters have been there for months and they are exhausted. In Debaltseve, most of the fighters were in the encircled city for three months before withdrawing in the last days.” On Wednesday, [Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced the withdrawal of more than 2,000 government troops](http://time.com/3713743/ukraine-conflict-debaltseve/ "undefined") from the disputed and strategic town of Debaltseve, trying to cast the move in a positive light while Russia-backed rebels claimed victory. Despite the bitter winter and heavy losses on both sides, the spirit has remained warm, says McDonnell. “The people are pragmatic, and we get a sense that the soldiering life is a job and a duty,” he tells TIME. “On the Ukrainian side, at least, there’s a huge amount of pride. As individuals, they feel let down by their new government and by the West. They want to think they are ready to defeat the pro-Russian rebels, but they can’t take on Russia itself.” And there’s no end in sight for this conflict, despite the fragile cease-fire that went into effect recently. “It will depend on the rebels’ ambitions,” says McDonnell, “but after their recent victories, it’s difficult to see any lasting ceasefire.” [**_Ross McDonnell_**](http://rossmcdonnell.com/ "undefined") _is a photographer and filmmaker born in Dublin. LightBox has previously featured McDonnell’s_ [_work from Ukraine_](http://lightbox.time.com/2014/01/30/fire-and-ice-in-kiev/ "undefined")_. Follow him on_ [_Instagram_](https://instagram.com/rossmcdonnell/ "undefined") _where he shares short films of life in Eastern Ukraine’s trenches._ **_Olivier Laurent_** _is the editor of TIME LightBox. Follow him on_ [_Twitter_](http://twitter.com/olivierclaurent "undefined") _and_ [_Instagram_](http://instagram.com/olivierclaurent "undefined") _@olivierclaurent_  Troops belonging to the Ukrainian Army and the Aidar battalion, a volunteer fighting unit, rest in the town of Shastya, Ukraine. Shastya means "happiness." Once a picturesque town of 13,000 in Luhansk Oblast, Shastya has become the frontline between Ukrainian forces and the forces of the breakaway Luhansk People's Republic. Ross McDonnell  Ukrainian soldiers conduct operations along the road in Artemivsk, Ukraine, leading to the embattled town of Debaltseve Feb. 15, 2015\. A ceasefire between Pro-Russian separatists and the Ukrainian forces brokered by the European Union, Russia and Ukraine began at midnight that day. Ross McDonnell  Ukrainian soldiers conduct operations along the road in Artemivsk, Ukraine, Feb.15, 2015. Ross McDonnell  The embattled city of Debaltseve in eastern Ukraine was the site of a massive offensive by rebel forces to wrest it from Ukrainian control. Debaltseve is a strategic town that provides links between Donetsk and Lugansk, the two separatist dominated regions, Feb. 5, 2015. Ross McDonnell  A frontline trench in Shastya, eastern Ukraine, where fighting was ongoing between Ukrainian military and volunteer fighters against the Russian supported forces of the breakaway Luhansk People's Republic, Feb. 8, 2015. Ross McDonnell  Members of the right wing Transcarpathian Sich battalion have taken over a bombed-out mine as their base on the frontline in Pisky, Ukraine, Feb. 10, 2015\. They fire light artillery and machine guns at enemy positions seeking to open up a new flank against the separatists. Ross McDonnell  The view from the trench "Alpinist" at night. A destroyed tank lies on what used to be the main road to Donetsk City. Feb. 8, 2015. Ross McDonnell  Artillery and shelling are constant on the front line in Pisky, Ukraine, Feb. 12, 2015. Ross McDonnell  Fresh graves on the outskirts of the town of Avdiivka, Ukraine, Feb. 9, 2015. Ross McDonnell  Dusk scenes along the front in Pisky, Ukraine, Feb. 10, 2015. Ross McDonnell  A Ukrainian Orthodox priest ministers to a volunteer member of the Aidar Battalion, a volunteer group fighting against Russian separatists in Shastya in the restive region of Luhansk, eastern Ukraine, Feb. 8, 2015.  Shelling ahead of the ceasefire left one boy dead and destruction in the city of Artemivsk, near the embattled of Debaltseva, Feb. 13, 2015. Ross McDonnell  Residents flee after the city of Artemivsk was destroyed by shelling, Feb. 13, 2015. Ross McDonnell  A member of the right wing Transcarpathian Sich Battalion rests in a safe room in Pisky, Ukraine, Feb. 12, 2015. Ross McDonnell  Funeral of seven-year-old Igor Molodetskykh, killed in a shelling by separatist rebels, is held in Artemivsk, Ukraine, Feb. 15, 2015. Ross McDonnell  A resident walks in shock on the streets of Artemivsk after rocket fire left two dead, Ukraine, Feb. 13, 2015. Ross McDonnell  Freezing weather has left food frozen, in Artemivsk, Ukraine, Feb. 15, 2015. Ross McDonnell  Members of the Dnipro-1 battalion play chess in their base in Pisky, Feb. 9, 2015. Ross McDonnell  Members of the Dnipro-1 Battalion live in the basement of a destroyed house in Pisky, with food donated by the Ukrainian public, Feb. 9, 2015. Ross McDonnell  The right wing Transcarpathian Sich battalion has taken over a bombed out mine as its base on the frontline in Pisky. Fighters fire light artillery and machine guns at enemy positions seeking to open up a new flank against the separatists, Feb. 15, 2015. Ross McDonnell  A Ukrainian soldier stares out a bus window as Ukrainian troops withdraw in defeat from the city of Debaltseve, Feb. 19, 2015\. After almost a month of fighting and heavy shelling on the road out of the city, Ukrainian fighters return to the nearby town of Artemivsk. The Minsk 2 ceasefire has been largely ignored with fighting ongoing for the strategic town. 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