‘We are ready for whatever comes’: on the Ukraine frontline

In Chonhar a blue and yellow flag marks the de facto border as Russian forces amass across a shimmering expanse of water

Peering through binoculars, Mykola Chekman pointed to the bridge connecting Ukraine to Russian-controlled Crimea. It's not the first time the peninsula has been occupied," he observed. He added: Crimea has seen a lot of war."

Chekman - a Ukrainian army photographer - was standing on the castellated tower of what was once a tourist cafe. It is now a base for Ukrainian forces, facing off against their invisible Russian counterparts across a shimmering expanse of water and duck-filled lagoons.