The silent, thousand-yard stares of two exhausted soldiers have become a powerful testament to the brutal reality of the war in Ukraine's east. After 130 consecutive days on the frontline, Denis, callsign 'Bars', and Dmytro, callsign 'K2', returned from their positions in the embattled Donetsk region, their faces etched with the strain of relentless combat.
The Unbreakable Defence of Kostyantynivka
The soldiers, who serve in the 93rd Kholodnyi Yar Separate Mechanized Brigade, were photographed walking arm-in-arm through the frost after defending the industrial city of Kostyantynivka. This key location has endured heavy Russian bombardment as Vladimir Putin's forces continue their grinding offensive in eastern Ukraine. On just one day, Wednesday, December 18, 2025, Russian troops carried out 14 separate assaults in the battle-scarred region, according to Ukraine's General Staff.
The fighting has been gruelling and static. Due to severe manpower challenges and the extreme danger of movement on the front lines, Kyiv's forces often spend prolonged periods entrenched in their positions. The 93rd Brigade has reported that Russian bombs have destroyed 'entire microdistricts', with lethal 'kamikaze drones' constantly hunting for targets. The human cost is immediate and stark; fresh graves lie between houses where locals have been forced to hurriedly bury neighbours under the constant threat of enemy attack.
Technological Warfare and a Brigade's Storied History
Despite the onslaught, reports from Ukrainian media indicate the brigade has doggedly held the city, home to around 4,300 residents. Their defence has incorporated advanced technology, including the use of ground robots on the city's south-western outskirts. In one significant engagement in October, a Russian breakthrough attempt using heavy armoured vehicles was repelled by a joint defensive operation. First-person-view drones were deployed by a strike group, successfully destroying tanks and other vehicles.
The 93rd is no ordinary unit. It boasts a distinguished history spanning 25 years of combat experience, having fought Russia in some of the fiercest battles since the conflict began in 2014. Its soldiers were among the first to defend Ukraine's borders when the full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022, and they famously fought as part of the 'cyborgs' who defended Donetsk airport for 244 days in 2014. More recently, in August 2025, the brigade retook the villages of Hruzke and Vesele near Dobropillia, using robots equipped with machine guns that engaged Russian troops at point-blank range.
A Stark Contrast in Values Amidst Faltering Peace Talks
The brigade's commander, Shamil Krutkov, emphasises a philosophy that stands in stark contrast to the tactics they face. 'For us, the life of every individual is of the utmost value,' he stated. 'The responsibility of commanders for each soldier and the mutual support among comrades is the foundation on which we have stood and will continue to stand.'
These images of weary defiance emerged in a week where the prospect of peace seemed to flicker uncertainly. While former US President Donald Trump suggested on Wednesday that parties were 'closer now than we have been, ever' to an agreement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered a grim counterpoint. On social media platform X, he warned that signals from Moscow indicate preparations for 'another year of war', urging international partners, particularly the United States, to take note and respond.
The haunting stares of 'Bars' and 'K2' serve as a silent, powerful rebuttal to any distant diplomatic optimism. They embody the immense human cost and unwavering resilience defining the defence of Ukraine, where every day of freedom is purchased through unimaginable sacrifice on scarred earth.
