The Russians have 'high losses and retreat' | Bakhmut mortar teams

Ukrainian troops who take a break from frontline fighting still train for war, learning how to fire mortar shells ready for when they return to the frontline at Bakhmut.

But for one unit driving away from the fighting there was an unscheduled pause when their armoured vehicle broke down.

After a swift repair from one of its crew, the vehicle was roadworthy again.

Further away from the frontline in the Donetsk region, a mortar crew returned from fighting in Bakhmut to take a two-weeks-long rest in an undisclosed location.

The unit's leader, Mykhailo, who refused to give his surname for security reasons, said that during the break, his soldiers trained and improved their skills before returning to the front line.

38-year-old Vasyl added that while on break, he didn't have to pay as much attention to his surroundings as on the front line.

"The situation there is a little bit different, you have to actively listen to your surroundings all the time, (to determine) whether there are drones in the air. You have to listen to the enemy's outgoing artillery. You need to be more focused there," he said.

The mortar team's leader Mykhailo, a 30-year-old florist, painted a positive picture of Ukrainian actions against their Russian foes.

"We're doing a really good job, we hit the enemy with precision, the enemy has high losses and retreats. Now, the enemy is the most afraid upon seeing our drones in the air, because he knows that artillery fire will follow."

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