On the burnt-out tank-strewn road into Bakhmut, site of the heaviest and bloodiest fighting of Russia's invasion so far, a group of Ukrainian soldiers hold position to keep the besieged town's last lifeline open to Kyiv's forces. "If you just cut it, everyone who is in Bakhmut will be dead. No supplies, no ammunition, no food, nothing," an artillery officer with the call sign "Joker" says, speaking to AFP on April 22, when Ukraine's army was under heavy pressure from Russia and the paramilitary Wagner group in Bakhmut. A month on, Ukraine is now saying it is advancing in the area, retaking Russian positions in its suburbs. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES