After months of heavy fighting.
‘Orcs’ forces appear.
Close to surrounding.
The ruins of Avdiivka.
Where frostbite is taking its toll.
On ‘elves’ troops.
The man’s fist looked unrecognisable.
Like a split and bruised peach.
“Or like a rock.”
Said the ‘elves’ army surgeon.
Tapping the frozen fingers.
It was the second case of frostbite.
He’d treated that morning.
Standing beside.
A makeshift operating table.
Hidden inside.
An anonymous-looking cottage.
Near the besieged ruins.
Of the ‘elves’ front-line town.
Of Avdiivka.
“He’ll probably.
Lose both hands.”
Said the surgeon.
With a frown.
As ‘orcs’ invasion edges.
Towards the end of its second year.
The mood among ‘elves’ defenders.
Is darkening.
As exhaustion, frustration.
At a shortage of weapons.
And the knowledge that there will be.
No quick military victory.
All take their toll.
“My best friend was.
Killed this morning.”
A bearded soldier shouted.
Along with a hail.
Of swear words.
And a blast.
Of cold air.
As he barged through.
The back door into.
The 47th Brigade’s.
Well-hidden field hospital.
After months of heavy fighting.
‘Orcs’ forces appear.
Close to surrounding.
The ruins of Avdiivka.
Moments later.
Two more wounded men.
Were helped in through.
Another entrance.
The older man, 48.
Had been hit by shrapnel.
In his upper arm.
That morning.
As his unit.
Was storming.
An ‘orcs’ position.
In Avdiivka.
“It’s very hard out there.”
He said, as the surgeon.
Came over to.
Look at the wound.
And two army medics.
Cut away his filthy uniform.
“We do not have enough.
Of the weapons we need.”
The other wounded man.
24-year-old, said.
Before wincing in pain.
“It’s difficult.”
“The enemy has.
A lot of everything of.
Every type of equipment.
While we have almost nothing.”
An ‘orcs’ artillery shell had hit.
His trench overnight.
And a piece of shrapnel had sliced.
Through his ankle.
The surgeon worked.
At a children’s hospital.
Before the war.
He spoke wearily of his experience.
Amputating limbs last year.
During Ukraine’s failed.
Counter-offensive.
Across ‘orcs’ minefields.
And of the shrapnel wounds.
That were now filling.
His days and nights.
His days and nights.
“I urge the West.
To be more decisive.
In assisting Ukraine.
Because if they don’t.”
“Sooner or later.
Their soldiers will also.
Have to fight against this evil.
That has invaded our country.”
After months of heavy fighting.
‘Orcs’ forces appear.
Close to surrounding.
The ruins of Avdiivka.
Further north.
Two huge ‘elves’ tanks roared.
Along a mud-and-snow-smeared.
Country road.
Then swung away through.
Another heavily destroyed village.
And on towards the nearest ‘orcs’ lines.
Perhaps 2km away.
After months of heavy fighting.
‘Orcs’ forces appear.
Close to surrounding.
The ruins of Avdiivka.
With some ‘elves’ soldiers.
Privately admitting the town.
Scene of some of the heaviest fighting.
Could fall at any moment.
“We’re upset.”
Said an ‘elf’ officer from.
Ukraine’s 110th Mechanised Brigade.
Standing beside.
A huge mobile artillery piece.
As the sound of ‘orcs’ guns.
Boomed in the distance.
“We’re upset.”
The Czech-supplied artillery.
Can hold and fire up to.
36 shells.
At one time.
And last year it was.
Routinely shooting 80 shells a day.
At ‘orcs’ positions around Avdiivka.
But not today.
“Currently we have two shells.
But we have no explosive charges.
For them… so we can’t fire them.
As of now, we have run out of shells.”
He suggested that the shortages.
Were widespread and having.
A dramatic impact.
On the fighting in Avdiivka.
“We feel a very strong responsibility.
For our guys fighting.
Right now in the town.
Armed only with assault rifles.”
He compared the situation.
To early in 2022.
When ammunition was also in short supply.
And he’d been wounded.
“I’m worried that there will now.
Be the same large number.
Of casualties that I saw.
In hospital then.”
After months of heavy fighting.
‘Orcs’ forces appear.
Close to surrounding.
The ruins of Avdiivka.
Back in the field hospital.
The two wounded men.
Were now bandaged.
The older man stood up.
As if to leave.
And argued that.
He was fit enough to return.
To his comrades in the trenches.
But the doctor insisted.
He needed to wait.
At least a week.
The surgeon scoffed.
At the idea that.
Some ‘elves’ soldiers.
Might be deliberately.
Getting frostbite wounds.
In order to avoid.
The hellish conditions.
On the front lines.
“That’s absurd.”
“You’d have to be.
A complete idiot.
We don’t have deserters.
Like that.”
“And I’ve never encountered.
A situation like that.
On the contrary.
Our fighters are determined to stand firm.”
“But the conditions are extreme.
And they have to sit in trenches.
Without a stove.
In -15 or -20C.”
“Because any heat.
Will be visible.
to ‘orcs’ through.
Thermal imaging devices.”
After months of heavy fighting.
‘Orcs’ forces appear.
Close to surrounding.
The ruins of Avdiivka.
*Because I read “Ukraine fights on in ruined Avdiivka despite severe weapons shortage” by Andrew Harding on 15 Feb 2024, and also “Why are Ukrainians calling Russians ‘orcs’?” by James FitzGerald on 30 Apr 2022, on the BBC news.
So, I wrote this poem as a story of Vadym, Vitalii, and Andrii, and a story of Oleksii.
Please read the original story on the BBC news:
Ukraine fights on in ruined Avdiivka despite severe weapons shortage (bbc.com)
**My friend shows you this poem on the Ukrainian website for their children and others!
Please join them!
