UKRAINIAN troops at the war’s ground zero are battling to hold a key village after forcing Russians out.
The Sun is the first paper to visit rural Ruska Lozova — nicknamed Glue as it keeps north east Ukraine together.
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Just 15 miles from the Russian border, the village was one of the first captured in February’s invasion.
Holding it gave Vladimir Putin’s soldiers access to key bridges and allowed them to shell the nearby city of Kharkiv.
Russian troops also used their occupation to launch a sickening rampage of murder, kidnap and rape on the 5,000-strong population.
However, battling Ukrainian forces re-took Ruska Lozova last month — and they are determined to keep hold of the village.
If the Russians managed to take control again, they would win a massive propaganda victory and use the area as a springboard to launch offensives across the north east of Ukraine.
There is a strong military presence in the area but the village — with shops, homes, roads and bridges destroyed — has been all-but abandoned by its residents.
As Russia’s forces throw everything they can at the village, we were granted exclusive access to commanders and troops.
An indication of how close the enemy is came within seconds of our arrival as we were beckoned into a building to take cover amid fears Russian drones were circling in preparation for an attack.
Commander Kostiantyn Zhydkov, 45, explained how his forces were controlling and defending the area.
He told The Sun: “The Russian army see this area as key and very strategic.
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“When they invaded at the start it gave them a springboard to fire into Kharkiv more directly and launch ground offensives.
“They took over and rampaged. They killed locals, raped them and took local people back to Russia. There are a lot of people missing.
“Winning it back was a massive priority for us. It gave them a great advantage.
“We regrouped and launched an attack. There was very heavy fighting and a lot of Russians died.”
Commander Zhydkov leads 228 Battalion, made up of experienced troops and special forces.
They launched their counter-attack and after days of fighting won the village back on May 10.
He said a lot of his troops fought when the Russians also invaded back in 2014 so are experienced.
He went on: “Russia threw a lot at this place. It was intense — shelling, grenades, artillery fighting, machine guns and lasted a while. A lot of locals fled or hid in basements while the attack went on.
“As a result of the attacks, the village is now abandoned.”
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One soldier described the village square as “no man’s land” as the Russians continue to pummel the area day and night.
Commander Zhydkov added: “They’re shelling us every single hour.
They have drones marking locations and the fire keeps coming. We’re fighting hard back.
“This is a very important area. We have it under Ukrainian control and we want to keep it that way.”
A major called Alex, aged 43, told us: “They fire any time, any place.
I’m very proud to be defending my country here — we all are. We know how important it is.”
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