How a front-line city became Ukraine’s romantic capital

THE 13:38 EXPRESS from Kyiv pulls into Kramatorsk, welcomed by a sea of flowers and outstretched arms. Of the passengers who aren’t soldiers on their way to nearby Bakhmut, almost all on board are the wives and girlfriends of those already fighting. Viktoria, 27, and Karolina, 29, have travelled to see their men Alexander, 32, and Vladimir, 33, who are waiting for them on the platform. A day before, Alexander and Vladimir were fighting . Now they have swapped their rifles for roses. The couples embrace silently, and depart for rented apartments on the outskirts.