Ukraine has been talking up an offensive to capture the city since the summer, but progress is slow and so far they've just retaken some surrounding farmland.

Kherson straddles the pro river reports suggest Russian commanders may be pulling back troops to the eastern side of the river, which is easier to defend.

Our international editor, Jeremy, Bowen, cameraman fred scott and producer Cathy Long has spent the last few days traveling between Mick alive and the front lines around her son In the trenches.

A mile or so from the Russian perimeter around Hassan soldiers from the Ukrainian 63rd Brigade have learned to be cautious.

They're digging in for a long winter.

I love my dugout.

He says it's going to be warm.

This is the ground where months of optimistic talk from Ukraine's leaders of the Hessen offensive has collided with the stark reality of pushing Russia back moving forward and a counter offensive is complicated to plan for and it's a threat to people's lives.

We have to take account of everything that's our job as commanders to keep our men alive.

Outside Nick alive.

The city facing occupied Hessen, they don't believe the Russians will fold piles have used up tank shells show how hard it's been on the mic alive front.

The soldiers say they don't have the combat power to match Russia's numbers or heavy guns.

They've got more military equipment, more people.

Their soldiers are not trained, but they just charge forward shouting hurrah.

We don't have as many bullets as they have.

People.

You can see why they have some offensive is taking a lot of time.

It's flat open ground.

They're under the Russian guns and this is what happens to them every day.

That's why since the summer they've been talking about it and it's hard to move forward.

The ruins of Michael lives, Regional Governor's Office destroyed early in the war are a constant reminder of what Russia can do Here as well.

No one believes Russia's defeat is inevitable.

General Dimitrova Marchenko, the commander credited with stopping the Russian advance now coordinates plans to recapture her son.

First of all, we need reactive artillery that can hit up to 300 km from us and we need an air defense system, basics for any army in the world that wants to go on the offensive.

An enemy who can do this.

The general believes cannot be beaten without overwhelming force, which Ukraine wants but does not have clean water is trucked into mecca live because Russia blew up the waterworks in the queue.

Someone said they can't bring us to our knees, defiance doesn't stop fear or anguish.

It's painful, says Oksana.

Everyone here is crying inside.

They're worried too about doing this in winter and the freeze close by this week.

Russian missiles have hit civilian houses.

One of the residents here was killed.

People with very little have lost everything.

Not much was left to salvage in this house.

Liubov has two sons in the army.

The Russians were saying hello, she said, then everything fell on my head.

What is so difficult for people is the unpredictability of a strike that comes in the middle of the night when they think they're relatively safe at home.

Her neighbor, a firefighter used to rescuing others, was rescuing himself.

We can't stop fighting.

We are on guard for our country.

No one but us will protect it.

I've faced this so many times now.

It has come to my house.

The main thing is that we are alive.

Everything else we can start again.

The pity of war envelopes mike alive.

The price of local victories that keep the pressure on the Russians.

If it comes to a battle for her son, the price and the pity rise sharply, jeremy, Bowen.

BBC news nick alive.