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In Ukraine, Bakhmout has become the hottest point on the front line. Report in a city relentlessly bombarded by the Russian army.
From our special envoy to Ukraine, Boris Mabillard
Published on
QFour soldiers extricate themselves from a pick-up covered in mud parked in front of a partially destroyed service station a few kilometers from Bakhmout. This staging area is the last place almost spared by bombs before the battlefield. This is the last moment to put on the bulletproof vests and put on the helmets. The soldiers greet us, I know one of them, Serhii (assumed name): reunion, hugs and handshakes. I had met him between Irpin and Boutcha; he belongs to the special forces. He and his comrades have their hands smeared with the black grease from the breeches of the guns and their faces covered with a layer of grime which underlines their wrinkles. They leave the hell of the bombs for a few days, the time to breathe, while we try…
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