Ukrainian families return to frontline towns despite Russian threat

In the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro, the train station continues to operate despite Russia’s ongoing invasion. Millions of people depend on these trains, with many passengers travelling to the last stop before the eastern front line. Among them are soldiers and young families returning to their homes.

One such passenger is 20-year-old Viktoria, who is heading back to Pokrovsk with her baby Eva. After spending a year travelling across Ukraine and Slovakia to keep her daughter safe, Viktoria has decided to return home. “It’s impossible to live like this, wandering everywhere. We have to make it work at home,” she says.

Since last year, six million Ukrainians have returned to their country, with thousands moving back to their homes along the 965km front line where the threat of a Russian attack persists. Many, like Viktoria’s husband Serhiy, have remained in towns like…