In a bunker just outside the city limits of Bakhmut, Ukraine's 77th Brigade direct artillery fire to support their infantry - their last line of defence on the western edge of the city.
EDnews informs via CNN that Ukraine is still clinging to the last few streets here.
But the live video feed the artillery gunners watch intently, from a drone flying above the city, suggests that even if Russia can finally wrestle control, it would be little more than a pyrrhic victory.
The prize is now a crumpled, skeletal city - with hardly a building left unscathed, and with its entire population vanished.
The battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut has been the longest and bloodiest of this war so far. Western officials estimate between 20,000 and 30,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded here, while Ukraine's military has also paid a heavy price - and it still isn't over.
The plumes of smoke still hang heavy over the besieged city, accompanied by the relentless rumble of artillery fire.
Russia has been trying to capture Bakhmut for months, and it's been a testament - so far - to Ukraine's determination not to give ground. But it's also a reminder that its coming counteroffensive could prove far more challenging.
