A former holiday resort on the Sea of Azov, the town of Shyrokyne now stands largely abandoned, patrolled by fighters on both sides of Ukraine's conflict. Members of the Azov Regiment, a former volunteer militia now included in the National Guard, are holed up in burned-out buildings near the coast as they trade fire with pro-Russian separatists. Askold Sirko of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service interviewed the fighters during a lull in the hostilities.

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