Stalking in the dark, clutching his assault rifle, the 50-year-old Ukrainian soldier with the call sign "Bel" says he would like more of his young countrymen to take part in the fight against the Russian invasion.
Faced with a more numerous and better equipped opponent, Ukrainian forces rely heavily on the "old dogs" like him to protect the country from the incessant Russian attacks. "They (young people) need to realize that no one but us and them will do this," says the old soldier at a Ukrainian army training center in eastern Ukraine, identifying himself only by his call sign.
Ukraine is pressed to recruit more troops for the 27-month-old fighting, with fewer willing recruits than in the early months of the Russian offensive. Recently, the Ukrainian authorities introduced stricter rules for mobilization and lowered the minimum age of conscription to 25 years. The upper age limit is 60 years. Some Ukrainian officials have estimated that the average age of a Ukrainian serviceman is currently over 40 years old.
Reuters has been given access to an exercise by the 33rd Mechanized Brigade in the Donetsk region, where Moscow's forces are making slight progress in several areas. Soldiers are trained in a range of skills, from clearing trenches to machine gun fire from a truck. Some were mobilized, others joined the army voluntarily.
Senior sergeant with call sign "Deputy" says many of the men currently going through the training are over 50, but are more motivated than the younger ones. "They know why they are here - for the sake of their children and grandchildren," says the 44-year-old "Deputy".
Moscow's forces, which took the initiative after Kiev's attempted counter-offensive last year, are gradually entering territories from where they can threaten strategic cities and roads.
Ukrainian officials say they want Russian troops to withdraw entirely and Kiev to reclaim internationally recognized territory, something many experts say will be a difficult task as the conflict wears Ukraine down and increasingly drains its resources.
Another commander from the 33rd Mechanized Brigade - with the callsign "Canada" who is in his 40s - noted that old soldiers could be trained in position defense as Ukraine seeks to strengthen its army.
"However, it is also about other combat duties - to capture territories, trenches, to get our land back - for that, of course, you need young fighters who are more durable,", he says. Ukraine's recruiting efforts have been boosted by government and military PR campaigns to attract volunteers who are given a choice of where and how to serve.
Fifty-year-old infantryman "Bel" appeals to his family compatriots: "We need protection now, not until the call-up comes".
Translation from English: Ivo Tasev, BTA