Ukrainian servicemen from the 28th brigade of the Armed forces said the situation on the frontline in Donetsk was becoming increasingly difficult, with Russian forces shelling every day. The soldiers had been retaliating with rounds from a 120mm mortar towards Russian positions at the frontline near Bakhmut. "They (Russians) don't shoot like we do. We count, clearly try to work well," a soldier with the Nom du Guerre "Fester" said. The fate of a devastated salt-mining town in eastern Ukraine hung in the balance on Wednesday as Ukraine said its forces were holding out against a furious Russian onslaught in one of the fiercest and costliest recent ground battles of the nearly 11-month war.