The eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, some 30km from the Russian border, has suffered grievously in the past year. Cruise missiles and shells rained down on it brutally last spring, killing hundreds of civilians, blasting the imposing regional government building and the opera house, cratering apartment blocks, shops, schools, churches and university buildings.
Having withstood the Russian assault, the city is now in a state of tentative recovery, despite the occasional artillery hit. Though many buildings are boarded up or ruined, shops and cafes are opening up in pockets. On a recent spring day, teams of volunteers were out tending streetside flowerbeds and sweeping the public squares.
