On the front lines, Ukrainians are ready for a possible attack
A Ukrainian soldier holds a gunner’s position in a front-line trench in Avdivka, Ukraine, Sunday, January 23.
On the front lines, Ukrainians are ready for a possible attack
Local residents drive past an apartment building in the Ukrainian city of Marinka on Saturday. The building was badly damaged in 2015 during fighting between the Ukrainian military and Russian-backed separatists.
On the front lines, Ukrainians are ready for a possible attack
42-year-old Zhanna is a lieutenant and doctor in the Ukrainian army based in Avdeevka. Before joining the army last year, she was a pediatrician at a local hospital. Her husband is an officer in the army. “I am not sure that will be attacked by Russia,” she said, “but I am ready to treat soldiers wounded in battle.”
On the front lines, Ukrainians are ready for a possible attack
A Ukrainian soldier walks through a destroyed industrial area in Avdeevka, which is only 50 meters from separatist trenches in some areas.
On the front lines, Ukrainians are ready for a possible attack
Soldiers monitor their frontline positions in Avdivka on Sunday.
On the front lines, Ukrainians are ready for a possible attack
Boys fish for carp and perch in Marinka on Saturdays. “They don’t read the news and have no opinion about Russian military construction,” said photographer Timothy Phadek. “But he said his parents were extremely worried and constantly watched television news.”
On the front lines, Ukrainians are ready for a possible attack
A Ukrainian soldier holds a cat in Avdivka on Sunday.
On the front lines, Ukrainians are ready for a possible attack
Soldiers sit behind a truck on Friday in Slovyanoserbsk, Ukraine.
On the front lines, Ukrainians are ready for a possible attack
A soldier stands in a ditch in Avdiivka.
On the front lines, Ukrainians are ready for a possible attack
A resident rides a bicycle in Marinka on Saturday. “Even though this small town is less than 15 miles from the separatist front, residents try to live as normal a life as possible,” Fadek said.
On the front lines, Ukrainians are ready for a possible attack
A soldier walks towards a dog on a ditch on the front line on Friday. Dogs accompany soldiers in these trenches and give early warnings against intruders.
On the front lines, Ukrainians are ready for a possible attack
Ukrainian soldiers keep an eye on the front line in Avdeevka.
On the front lines, Ukrainians are ready for a possible attack
A woman walks past a damaged apartment building in Marinka on Saturday. “The mood is sad, sad and resigned,” Fadek said. “People are going through the motions of their daily lives.”
On the front lines, Ukrainians are ready for a possible attack
Victoria watches television with her 10-year-old daughter and her son and girlfriend in Marinka on Saturday. Asked if she had any messages for world leaders involved in the conflict, Victoria said: “Wait. Just wait. That’s it. Think about your children if they were here.”
On the front lines, Ukrainians are ready for a possible attack
A look inside a Ukrainian trench on the front lines.
On the front lines, Ukrainians are ready for a possible attack
Ukrainian troops are monitoring the trench situation on their front lines on Friday.
On the front lines, Ukrainians are ready for a possible attack
A Ukrainian soldier keeps watch in Avdiivka.
On the front lines, Ukrainians are ready for a possible attack
A destroyed car is seen outside a damaged building in Avdiivka.
On the front lines, Ukrainians are ready for a possible attack
A Ukrainian soldier walks through an industrial area in Avdivka.
On the front lines, Ukrainians are ready for a possible attack
A Ukrainian soldier on the front line is in the gunner position on Friday.
On the front lines, Ukrainians are ready for a possible attack
Men play billiards in Marinka during a local tournament on Saturday.
On the front lines, Ukrainians are ready for a possible attack
A Ukrainian soldier walks through a destroyed industrial area in Avdivka that has seen heavy shelling over the years.
On the front lines, Ukrainians are ready for a possible attack
A farmer chops wood on Friday in Muratov, Ukraine, while family members collect it to sell to a nearby Ukrainian military base.
On the front lines, Ukrainians are ready for a possible attack
He said Ukrainian soldiers who spent time with Fadek on Friday were very comfortable. “They have embraced the inevitability.”
On the front lines, Ukrainians are ready for a possible attack
A woman sells dried fish on a road leading to Kramtorsk, Ukraine, on Thursday.
On the front lines, Ukrainians are ready for a possible attack
A soldier walks with the dogs into the ditch of the front line. “I’ve been to the trenches several times in the summer before,” Fadek said. “It was winter for the first time. Visually, because the trenches and landscape are covered with snow, it reminds me of the trenches of World War I. cold sores.