Ukrainian civilians are returning to Lyman, close to the front line, despite the threat of strikes.
By Andrew HardingTwo Ukrainian fighter jets roar low overhead as we emerge from a dense, snow-bound forest and drive into the railway junction town of Lyman, in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
He bends over to share out some dried food to the eight cats - seven of them strays, abandoned by neighbours - he now looks after. "What can we do?" Valeri shrugs, stroking the head of a stray dog he and his wife, Ira, recently adopted and named Princess Diana. When he's not busy with his axe, Valeri helps neighbours repair broken doors and windows in their badly damaged apartment building."I still find it stressful to stay outside, in the open, for long," says Ira, a 41-year-old accountant, before heading down a dark flight of stairs and into the cramped cellar of 6 Railway Street.
"It was difficult at times. People are different. Some became aggressive - we're not used to living all together like this," says Ira. Adding to that stress was the fact that, by Ira's reckoning, about a third of those who had chosen to stay in the cellar were pro-Russian, actively hoping that Ukraine would lose the war.
In recent months, the mayor and his team have managed to restore electricity to most of the town and the surrounding villages. Pensions are now being paid, on time, and some shops have reopened.Ira, one of those sheltering in a basement, says she finds it stressful being outside The mayor says local police are still dealing with "a handful" of Lyman's residents suspected of working for the Russian occupiers. But he believes the experience of the past year has persuaded many pro-Russian residents to change their views.
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