A Ukrainian soldier on the front line has given the BBC a sobering account of Ukraine's struggle to defend its stronghold on the east bank of the vast Dnieper River.
The Russians outnumbered us and are armed more powerfully, that's how the soldier describes the balance of power.
Several hundred Ukrainian soldiers arrived there as part of a counteroffensive launched six months ago.
Under relentless Russian fire, the soldier spent several weeks on the Russian-occupied side of the river as the Ukrainian army tried to establish a bridgehead around the village of Krinki.
The BBC is withholding the soldier's name to protect his identity.
Over a messaging app, he talks about military boats being blown up, inexperienced reinforcements and feeling abandoned by Ukrainian military commanders.
He says that tension is growing, while Ukraine's defenses are slowly giving way in the face of the Russian invasion.
The Ukrainian army told the BBC that it does not comment on the situation in that area for security reasons.
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In the continuation of the text, there are bold quotes from the Ukrainian soldier.
"The whole crossing over river is under constant fire. I saw the boats with my comrades simply disappear into the water after being hit, lost forever in the Dnieper.
"We have to carry everything with us - aggregates, fuel and food. When setting up a bridgehead you need a lot of everything, but there was no planned supply for this area.
“We thought that after we arrived the enemy would leave i from we will then calmly prthrow away everything we need. But, it is not bilo so.
“When we reached the [east] coast, the enemy was waiting.
"The Russians we managed to capture said their forces had been tipped off about our landing, so when we got there they knew exactly where to find us. They showered us with all possible weapons - artillerya, mortari and flame thrower systems. I thought that nI will stay alive."
Nevertheless, several hundred marines managed to dig in, partly with the help of Ukrainian artillery fire from the higher, western banks of the Dnieper.
The river separates the Russian-occupied and Ukrainian-controlled parts of the southern Kherson region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky keeps talking about this offensive as the beginning of something more.
The Ukrainian General Staff reported in a daily update on Sunday that its forces were holding positions on the east bank of the Dnieper and were "striking enemy rear lines".
This soldier's testimony, however, reveals divisions between the Ukrainian government and its generals over martial law.
Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief General Valery Zaluzhny told the Economist magazine in November that "just like in the First World War, we have reached a level of technology that brings us to a dead end."
Zelenski's cabinet quickly reprimanded the general for his comments, denying that there was a stalemate on the battlefield.
"Every day while we were in the forest we were under constant enemy fire.
"We had nowhere to go - roads and paths are full of mines. The Russians can't control everything, and we're taking advantage of that. But their drones are constantly buzzing in the air, ready to strike as soon as they see movement.
"Supply was the weakest link. The Russians monitored our supply lines, so it became more difficult - drinking water was really scarce, despite our boat and drone deliveriesvima.
"We bought equipment out of our own pockets - generators, chargers and warm clothes. Now are coming frosts, things will only get worse, rights slika is covered up, so no one will do anything to change.
"No one knows the goals. Many believe that the command has simply abandoned us. The boys believe that our presence had more political than military significance. But we were just doing our job and we didn't were engaged in strategiesom."
There is no doubt that this transition forced some Russian forces to move from other parts of the front line, such as their well-defended positions in the Zaporozhye region, where Kiev hoped the breakthrough would come sooner.
BBC Russian service recently spoke with some Russian soldiers defending the river bank in that area.
They said it was "suicide" for Russian soldiers to be sent there, saying they had lost many men in the battles and could not drive the Ukrainians out of their stronghold.
The Ukrainian military, meanwhile, says it is targeting Russian supply lines to force them to withdraw and protect civilians from shelling.
This means that both Russian and Ukrainian soldiers are under constant fire.
"Nasha's losses are mostly bile fruit of mistakes and inexperience - someone is not fast enough got hold of rova, the other hid badly. If someone is deconcentrated, will immediately shoot him from all directions.
"Forwards, if we manage to bring wounded soldiers to paramedics and doctors, he will be saved. They are titans, gods. But we can't let's go get those lying outside the trenches. It's too dangerous.
"Ia hundred timesNo, our drones and missiles inflict heavy losses on the enemy. We are once managed to capture some Russian troops, but where to put them we hold, if we have no way to cross the river with ours the wounded comrades?".
Like every other part of the front line, this operation turned into a battle of attrition, that is, who can last longer.
While Russia is filling its ranks with conscripts and pardoned prisoners, Ukraine is struggling to find the manpower it needs.
A recent BBC investigation found that nearly 20.000 men have fled Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion to avoid conscription.
"Several brigades should have been stationed here, not individual companies - we simply don't have enough men.
"There is much young men among us. We need people, but trained people, not Frvi 'lizards'. There are guys who are were in training for only three weeks, they only fired the rifle a few times.
"Egg je complete nightmare. A year ago I wouldn't have said that, but now, I'm sorry, everything enough.
"Everyone who wanted to voluntarily to fight they came a long time ago - now it's hard to attract people with money. Now they are coming to us oni who failed to avoid conscription. You will find it funny but some of oursh Marineaca they can't even swim".
The village of Krinki was turned into ruins.
A little over a year ago, there were celebrations when the Ukrainian army entered the southern city of Kherson and parts of the Kharkiv region following the withdrawal of Russian forces.
But such a thing is not happening now.
The victories of the Ukrainian army are measured in small plots of devastated and abandoned land.
Because of this, it is increasingly difficult for Zelensky to convince the West to continue supporting Ukraine.
But regardless, this anonymous soldier will return to the front.
"I survived after that I got a concussion from a mine, but one of my own comrades he didn't make it - all that was left of him was his helmet.
"I feel like I escaped from hell, but the guys who replaced us went into an even bigger hell than we did.
“But a new replacement of forces on the field has already been announced. Soon it will be my turn again to Fra rarer river."
Additional reporting: Hea Chornus, Vicky Riddell, Hana Ciba and Anastasiusa Levchenko
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