ABC News foreign correspondent James Longman and his crew were the only media outlets allowed to watch the guns in action on the outskirts of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, where the Russian armed forces are advancing slowly. Cannons are seen as crucial to occupying Russian artillery positions as Ukrainian forces fight to prevent Donbass from falling completely into enemy hands, Ukrainian officials said. A Ukrainian artillery commander told ABC News that he had been trained in how to use howitzers in Germany by US personnel. “It makes a huge difference because this is a NATO weapon,” said the artillery commander. “It keeps our morale high because with it we can work harder and do a better job. It also discourages the enemy when he sees how quickly and accurately we can open fire and sees the results of these attacks.” The commander said the biggest difference between the US 155mm M-777 projectiles and the Russian counterparts is accuracy, speed and ease of operation. “These shells stand lower, which makes it easier to disguise,” the commander said. “It’s also harder to detect when shots are fired.” He said the four-tonne artillery was lighter than the nine-tonne weapons used at the beginning of the war. “So it takes fewer people to operate it. It also makes it easier to transport (and) unload it,” the commander said. “Because we often shoot it from areas that are not easy to reach. So the weight is very important. But what is more important is that we are given a lot of ammunition for these weapons. And we can work on a lot more targets now.” He said the ability to maneuver the shells is the key to using them on the battlefield. “We highlight the piece, open fire and move quickly to the new location, where we do the same,” said the commander. “That way we can change locations 12 to 20 and even more times a day. And the enemy can not understand how we work so fast and open fire from areas that are not suitable for artillery.” Asked by ABC News if he was proud to wield weapons against Russian troops, the commander replied: “Sure, I am! Sometimes when we move to new locations we meet other artillery officers and hear them say, ‘Wow, three times seven!’ “Well, we are very proud!” he said. He said the weapons are so accurate that troops often hit targets with the first shot. “Give us more weapons!” the commander said it was his main request from the United States. -James Longman of ABC News