Artist George Butler: ‘I draw what happens at the fringes of atrocity’

George Butler: ‘This sweet little coffee tram was parked in Odesa. It was run by a girl called Eliza – she must have been about 17. I thought it was extraordinary it was still open for business, but Ukrainians love their coffee. It provides a sense of community as well as caffeine.’ Photograph: George Butler

Two weeks into the Russian invasion, as millions of Ukrainians fled their homes and headed west, artist George Butler began his own journey in the opposite direction. Travelling light, his dip pens, watercolours, Indian ink and drawing board stashed in his customary shoulder bag, he took a flight from London to the city of Iasi in Romania, then jumped on a bus to Chișinău, the Moldovan capital. Another long and very crowded bus journey took him to Odesa in southern Ukraine, where he stayed for a few days before continuing on an overnight train to Kyiv, at the heart of the conflict.