Little respite for doctors on Ukraine's eastern front
STORY: Andrii, a doctor working in Ukraine's Donetsk region, says he has virtually no time for breaks during his shifts at a military hospital near the front lines of the war against Russia.
Ambulances shuffle back and forth, carrying soldiers wounded in fighting that's engulfed towns in Ukrainian-held parts of Donetsk.
Andrii, who asked to be identified only by his first name, meets patients being brought in by ambulances, between assessing the most recent arrivals.
No sooner has he recorded the time of death of one serviceman than he is examining another wheeled in on a stretcher.
"I'm just doing my job. All of us do what's needed, we're just fulfilling our duty. The only thing important is that there is a person that does this job. To a certain extent at least. I'm not saying that I’m doing something 'extra', just everyone is doing their work, and all of this together creates a certain teamwork spirit."
Andrii is from Kyiv and was working there until Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February when he moved to the front line.
He and his colleagues treat the most debilitating injuries inflicted on Ukrainian soldiers.
They work 12-hour shifts in theory - but often stay longer if there are a lot of urgent cases.
Mykhailo is head of the surgery department.
"The most difficult moments are psychological. When you get 20 or 22 year old boys, young boys, and they have serious injuries. When they lose their limbs or their sight, when they become disabled."
Russian forces initially planned to advance on the capital Kyiv but changed strategy after meeting resistance from the Ukrainian army.
The Kremlin, which calls its actions in Ukraine a "special military operation," said it would concentrate on securing the entire Donbas region of eastern Ukraine - parts of which were occupied by Russian forces and their proxies in 2014.
Russian forces captured virtually all of Luhansk region in battles through June that killed thousands on both sides.
Now, they're pushing steadily southward in Donetsk.
Andrii and his colleagues keep working, while the ambulances keep arriving.
