The average lifespan of soldiers deployed on the eastern front line is "four hours," an American soldier fighting in Ukraine says. The Bakhmut area is a real “meat grinder,” he adds. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers have already died in the war, but the fighting is not yet over and conscription, often by force, is ongoing. People barely receive any training before being sent to the battlefield.

There is almost no chance to survive the fighting near Bakhmut, while the Ukrainian city is almost totally destroyed.

The average lifespan of a soldier on the east Ukrainian front line is „four hours,”

a former US marine, who is fighting alongside the Ukrainian army in the Donbas, told ABC News.

„It’s been pretty bad on the ground. A lot of casualties,” Offenbecker added. The city has seen some of the deadliest fighting, he said.

The soldier called the situation around Bakhmut „chaotic” and dubbed it „the meat grinder.”

Previously, Bakhmut had around 70,000 residents. By now, however, there are hardly any left. The past months saw a desperate fight between Russians and Ukrainians for the settlement. According to reports, the city has been the site of some of the bloodiest fighting since the war began.

Moreover, there are still some civilians in the city, despite an order to evacuate last week. „A lot of these families are poor,” he said. „They don’t have anywhere to go… even if they wanted to. So the reality is there still are a lot of civilians that are stuck in the middle of this,” he added.

The fighting has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians across Ukraine, and millions have been forced to flee their homes. However, the war and the conscriptions continue.

Videos showing men often forcibly taken to do military service appear on social media day after day.

However, newly recruited soldiers often possess no previous military experience, and there is no time for long training periods, although several countries have offered training assistance to Ukraine.

The recruit training scheme running in the UK saw 10,000 Ukrainian troops brought to battle readiness in six months last year. A further 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers will be upskilled in an intensive five-week training course this year. In addition, fighter jet pilots and marines will also receive training, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced in early February.

The EU Military Assistance Mission for Ukraine is also ensuring the effective training of Ukrainian troops, enabling them to operate the artillery to defend their country. The part of the mission that Germany leads is managed by the „Special Training Command” (ST-C). Its multinational staff is based in Strausberg, near Berlin.

However, soldiers who used to live life as civilians cannot prepare for the difficulties they will have to face on the front line. Oftentimes, they stand no chance to survive, as evidenced by the situation in Bakhmut.