Ukraine war: A front-line town torn between determination and despair - BBC News

In Lyman, eastern Ukraine, some want peace on any terms, while others still hope for victory.

8 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsWar in UkraineImage caption, Oleskandr Rogovitz now doubts that Ukraine can win the warBy Andrew HardingBBC News, Lyman, eastern UkraineNo one town can capture the mood of this huge, struggling nation, after almost two years of war.

But perhaps Lyman comes close.

This is a small, half-ruined railway town, first seized by Russia, then liberated, and now trapped, precariously, near the frontlines of the Donbas. Its civilian inhabitants seem torn between determination and despair.

"Only peace matters now. I want peace. Only peace. On any terms," said Oleksandr Rogovitz, a 74-year-old retired businessman, living alone in the icy ruins of a nine-storey apartment block on the edge of Lyman.

When we first met Oleksandr and his eight cats exactly one year ago, hours after a powerful Russian missile had torn apart one side of his building, he shared the widespread belief that Ukraine could still win this war.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68285432

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