Another winter at the battlefield: "The Black Pack" exhausted; Crash is inevitable?

Ukrainian forces are still resisting the Russian advance in the east, but are almost surrounded near the town of Kurakhov, the scene of the fiercest fighting in recent weeks.

The Black Pack, a mortar unit, is trying to prevent an encirclement around Kurakhov. The Russians are approaching from three sides. BBC reporters spent some time with this unit in a safe house during a break from combat. They are not ordinary soldiers. Among them are a vegan chef, a mechanic, a web developer and an artist. A group of friends with non-conformist views. Some call themselves anarchists. Everyone volunteered to fight.

Surt, their 31-year-old commander, joined the army shortly after the war began. He says he thought the war would last three years. Now he is mentally preparing for another ten years of struggle. Everyone knows that Donald Trump wants to end the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin have also indicated they are open to talks, but a sustainable deal is hard to imagine. So far, there is only talk of talks.

Surt doesn't dismiss Trump's ideas: "He's a pretty ambitious person and I think he's going to try to do it." But he worries about the outcome of any negotiations: "We are realists, we understand that there will be no justice for Ukraine - many will have to swallow the fact that their homes were destroyed by rockets and shells, that their loved ones were killed, and that will be difficult." When asked if he would rather negotiate or continue to fight, Surt emphatically replies, "I would continue to fight."

Ready to continue fighting

That is the point of view of the majority of the members of this unit. Vegan chef Serhij believes that negotiations would only temporarily freeze the war, which would flare up again in a year or two. He admits that the current situation is not good for Ukraine. But he is also ready to continue the fight. Being killed, says Serhij, is just the risk of the job they do. David is an artist and thinks Trump is worryingly unpredictable: "He could be very good or very bad for Ukraine."

The unit spends a week at the front and rests the following week. But even when they rest, they continue the exercises, because, as they say, that keeps them motivated. In the ice field, they go through mortar firing exercises. The unit was recently joined by Dennis, who voluntarily left the safety of his home in Germany.

"I asked myself if I could live in a world where Ukraine does not exist," Dennis says. He admits that now it looks like Ukraine is losing, but adds: "If you don't try, you will definitely lose. At least I will die trying to win instead of just lying there." But, unlike the others, Dennis believes that Ukraine should at least consider a ceasefire. He believes that Ukrainian losses are higher than those officially recognized - more than 400,000 killed and wounded. The mobilization of a larger number of the population, believes Dennis, would not solve the problem.

"I simply think that a lot of motivated soldiers are either lost or exhausted. It's not that we want a ceasefire, but we can't continue like this for years," says Dennis.

"We need to sit down and negotiate"

Dnipro, Ukraine's third-largest city, is also feeling war-weary. It is regularly targeted by Russian missiles and drones. Air raid sirens sound intermittently, day and night. When they fall silent, Ukrainians try to find some sense of normalcy in these abnormal times - including going to the theater.

In the afternoon performance of the comedy show, Kajdash's family is still reminded of the war - with a minute of silence in memory of the dead, followed by the national anthem of Ukraine.

But some in the audience admit they are hoping for more lasting relief. Ludmila says: "Unfortunately, there are fewer of us. We get some help, but it's not enough - that's why we have to sit down and negotiate." Ksenia thinks similarly: "There is no simple answer. Many of our soldiers were killed. They fought for something - for our territories. But I want the war to end."

Polls also show growing support for negotiations. The strongest calls for a ceasefire come from those who have been forced to flee the fighting. In a shelter near the theater, in a former student dormitory, four elderly women reminisce about the homes they left behind.

Valentina (87) says that they arrived with nothing, but they provided them with shoes, clothes and food. She says they were treated well: "It's good to be a guest, but it's better to be at home." Her home is now under Russian occupation. All four women want to negotiate for peace. But Maria (89) says she doesn't know how both sides will be able to "look each other in the eye after the hell they caused": "It's already clear that neither will win militarily, that's why we need negotiations."

If there are negotiations, those women may sacrifice the most - just as Ukraine may have to sacrifice for peace.