Sharjah24 - AFP: In the chaos of the battle for Barinkove on Ukraine's eastern front, the country's best-known singer, Sviatoslav Vakarchuk, appears in jeans and a bulletproof vest.

A soldier rushes up to the rockstar from the band Okean Elzy for a selfie.

"We came to raise morale, to see the guys. Maybe I will sing something to them," the 46-year-old told AFP, guitar in hand.

"Their mood is great," he said. "I mean, they're not happy to be here of course, but they're very focused and determined and ready to win.

"That's why we're here, to (help them) understand that everything will be alright."

But after two months under Russian fire on this unforgiving frontline, it can be hard to sustain optimism.

While soldiers have been trying to blunt the Kremlin's assault on the Donbas region, the offensive is now concentrated here.

"In terms of morale, the situation is complicated. It's far from rosy," Iryna Rybakova, press officer of the 93rd brigade, told AFP.

"Of course, we were prepared for this war, especially the professional army, but for those who've been recruited, it's more complicated," the soldier said.