The sound of Russian artillery grew louder as we drove to a Ukrainian frontline position in Luhansk. The rumble of shelling interspersed with the occasional burst of small arms fire. We were within 500 metres of the Russian positions. This may be a conflict in the 21st century but, at times, with its maze of trenches, it feels more like something from the First World War. Russia’s military offensive in eastern Ukraine is already intensifying. You can see it in the long queues of traffic driving west towards relative safety; you can feel it in the deserted streets as you drive through the towns and cities of the Donbas; and you can hear it with the increasing sound of Russian artillery. Russia is redeploying more of its forces from northern to eastern Ukraine. The objective is to step up the battle in the Luhansk and Donetsk – parts of which were already controlled by Russian backed separatists. Russia will take advantage of its shorter supply lines – something which proved a problem in its failed offensive on the capital Kyiv.(BBC)…[+]