CNN’s Ben Wedeman visits an underground network of tunnels and bunkers where frontline fighters rest and recuperate while they wait for a potential Russian advance into Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine.

Zaporizhzhia

Russian forces have invaded Ukraine from land, air and sea with strikes causing widespread damage. Global leaders have condemned the move and imposed sanctions.

Ukraine Invasion

Ukrainian soldiers in the Zaporizhzhia region are engaged in a combination of high-tech and traditional trench warfare as they defend against Russian forces. The 65th Mechanized Brigade, which recently participated in a drone strike on a Russian fuel train, is resting and recuperating in bunkers away from the front lines while preparing for a possible Russian offensive.

The town of Orichiv, once home to 14,000 people, now has only 800 residents remaining. Locals like Oleksandr, the town's only handyman, and Lyudmila, who lives alone with her dogs, continue to endure daily shelling and destruction. Despite the hardships, both soldiers and civilians persist in their efforts to survive and maintain a sense of normalcy.

In the trenches with soldiers defending southeastern Ukraine

A Russian train full of fuel goes up in a blaze of fire and smoke struck by Ukrainian drones. This new era of warfare combines high-tech with close-quarters combat harking back to the First World War. The same brigade that took part in the train strike is also fighting in the trenches. Military squad commander Yevgeny returned at five in the morning from a deadly six-man attack on a Russian position. One of my men was killed, he says. Two took shrapnel. Two of us got concussions from drone attacks and mortar fire. His men managed to kill a Russian soldier, then had to withdraw. And came here, well underground, where the war is barely audible. This complex of bunkers and trenches is not the front line. It's well away in the rear. The purpose is that they will be ready in the event the Russians push forward. And what we're hearing from senior Ukrainian officials is that they fear that the Russians are preparing for a major push in the Zaporizhia area. Until then, this is where troops from the 65th Mechanized Brigade rest and recuperate. Cramped and stuffy, yet safe, the cats welcome company, also keeping the mice at bay. They're resting up for their next mission, defending the town of Orichiv, or what's left of it. Only 800 of its original 14,000 residents remain. Oleksandr is the only handyman left, with plenty to keep him busy. Windows, doors, roofs. You can see for yourself, everything needs repairs, he says. In the town's post office, the last vestige of normalcy, we meet Lyudmila, who lives alone with her two dogs. Her day started with shelling. When it hit, I thought that was the end of everything, she says. To lighten her mood, I share pictures of hobbies and pets, communicating in a linguistic hodgepodge. She shared a laugh. Her dog, Alfa, shell-shocked, was unmoved. Far away is the powerful talk war and peace. Here the powerless can only hold on and hope to live another day.

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In the trenches with soldiers defending southeastern Ukraine

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