On the front lines, Ukrainians brace for possible attack
A Ukrainian soldier mans a gunner’s position in a frontline trench in Avdiivka, Ukraine, on Sunday, January 23.
On the front lines, Ukrainians brace for possible attack
Local residents drive past an apartment building in the Ukrainian city of Marinka on Saturday. The building was badly damaged during clashes in 2015 between the Ukrainian army and Russian-backed separatists.
On the front lines, Ukrainians brace for possible attack
Zhanna, 42, is a lieutenant and doctor in the Ukrainian army, based in Avdiivka. Before joining the military last year, she was a pediatrician at a local hospital. Her husband is an army officer. “I’m not sure if there will be an attack by Russia,” she said, “but I’m willing to treat the soldiers in case they get injured in combat.”
On the front lines, Ukrainians brace for possible attack
A Ukrainian soldier walks through a devastated industrial area in Avdiivka, which in some areas is only 50 meters from the separatist trenches.
On the front lines, Ukrainians brace for possible attack
Soldiers stand guard on their front lines in Avdiivka on Sunday.
On the front lines, Ukrainians brace for possible attack
Boys fishing for carp and bass in Marinka on Saturday. “They don’t read the news and have no opinion about the Russian military build-up,” said photographer Timothy Fadek. “But they said their parents were extremely concerned and constantly watched the television news.”
On the front lines, Ukrainians brace for possible attack
A Ukrainian soldier holds a cat in Avdiivka on Sunday.
On the front lines, Ukrainians brace for possible attack
Soldiers sit in the back of a truck in Slov’yanoserbs’k, Ukraine on Friday.
On the front lines, Ukrainians brace for possible attack
A soldier stands in a trench in Avdiivka.
On the front lines, Ukrainians brace for possible attack
On Saturday, a resident in Marinka is cycling. “Although this small town is less than 15 miles (15 kilometers) from the separatist front line, residents are trying to carry on with their lives as normal as possible,” Fadek said.
On the front lines, Ukrainians brace for possible attack
A soldier gestures to a dog in a front line on Friday. Dogs live in these trenches with the soldiers, giving an early warning against intruders.
On the front lines, Ukrainians brace for possible attack
Ukrainian soldiers stand guard on the front line in Avdiivka.
On the front lines, Ukrainians brace for possible attack
A woman walks past a damaged apartment building in Marinka on Saturday. “The mood was gloomy, depressed and resigned,” Fadek said. “People go through the motions of their daily lives.”
On the front lines, Ukrainians brace for possible attack
Viktoria, right, watches television on Saturday with her 10-year-old daughter and her son and his girlfriend in Marinka. When asked if she had a message for the world leaders involved in the conflict, Viktoria said: “Stop. Just stop. It’s enough. Think of your children when they were here.”
On the front lines, Ukrainians brace for possible attack
A look inside a Ukrainian trench at the front.
On the front lines, Ukrainians brace for possible attack
Ukrainian soldiers stand guard on their front lines on Friday.
On the front lines, Ukrainians brace for possible attack
A Ukrainian soldier stands guard in Avdiivka.
On the front lines, Ukrainians brace for possible attack
A destroyed car is seen outside a damaged building in Avdiivka.
On the front lines, Ukrainians brace for possible attack
A Ukrainian soldier walks through the industrial zone in Avdiivka.
On the front lines, Ukrainians brace for possible attack
A Ukrainian soldier on the front line mans a gunner’s position on Friday.
On the front lines, Ukrainians brace for possible attack
Men play billiards in Marinka during a local tournament on Saturday.
On the front lines, Ukrainians brace for possible attack
A Ukrainian soldier walks through a devastated industrial area in Avdiivka where there has been heavy shelling over the years.
On the front lines, Ukrainians brace for possible attack
A farmer in Muratove, Ukraine, is chopping wood on Friday as relatives collect it to sell to a nearby Ukrainian army base.
On the front lines, Ukrainians brace for possible attack
The Ukrainian soldiers Fadek spent on Friday were extremely relaxed, he said. “They have embraced the inevitability.”
On the front lines, Ukrainians brace for possible attack
A woman sells dried fish on the road to Kramatorsk, Ukraine on Thursday.
On the front lines, Ukrainians brace for possible attack
A soldier walks with dogs in a frontline trench. “I’ve been in the trenches many times over the summer,” Fadek said. “This is the first time it’s winter. Visually, because the trenches and landscape are covered in snow, it reminds me of World War I trenches. Cold misery.”
