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They were among the last soldiers to leave the embattled city of Sieverodonetsk.
And in an unusual way.
These Ukrainian fighters escaped the Russian attackers, who on Saturday reported the complete capture of the big city in the Donbass, with a rubber boat.
Danylo, soldier:
»We crossed the river in boats, mostly in the dark for safety reasons.
The places where we crossed the river were constantly being changed because they were also being shot at.
But overall it worked and was even fun.«
The Russian troops had destroyed three bridges over the river Siwerskyj Donez in their advance in order to cut off the retreat route for the Ukrainians.
They still defended the city for weeks - but in the end the Ukrainian army command gave up the almost completely destroyed Sievjerodonetsk.
Danylo, Soldier: 'It was a shame, of course, because a lot of effort was put into defense - for months. But the decision was made, and we weren't too upset because we want to survive, too."
Anton, soldier: »The situation in Sievjerodonetsk was very difficult. But our comrades, our boys bravely defended every house and street. We fought for them, we defended them. But then we got the order to retreat. We had taken heavy casualties, so there was no point in holding the city."
Apparently, the leadership of the Ukrainian army did not want to risk a similar situation in Sieverodonetsk as in May at the Azov steel plant in Mariupol.
The last Ukrainian soldiers had barricaded themselves there for weeks together with civilians, but were surrounded by Russian units and ultimately had to surrender after suffering heavy losses.
The Seversky Donets River separates Sieverodonetsk from its neighboring city of Lysychansk, the last major Ukrainian bastion in Luhansk Province.
Eight people died and 21 were injured in Russian attacks on Monday.
The soldiers who escaped from Sievjerodonetsk are now in Sloviansk, almost 80 kilometers away, where they are being supplied with food, medicine and clothing.
Here, they fear, the next major battle against the Russian army will take place.
Danylo, soldier: »At the moment I don't understand the actions of Russia, I don't understand their motivation. They have started to behave more cruelly. They only test our staying power. There are no logical explanations for their actions. They just want to bleed us dry, that's their whole tactic."
In the Donbass, the Russian army is primarily relying on a massive use of artillery to wear down the Ukrainian troops.
They are now hoping for further arms deliveries from the West to compensate for their inferiority.