Life resumes near Ukraine frontline despite war threat

Viktoria Miroshnichenko has just reopened her toy store in Kramatorsk, a city near the frontline in eastern Ukraine, despite the daily sound of bombing roaring in the distance. The shopkeeper said she was out of work for almost three months without receiving any substantial state support. But in the past few weeks, shops have been gradually reopening and residents have returned to the city in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. Kramatorsk, a large city at the heart of what remains of Ukrainian-controlled Donbas, is stirring back to life even as Russian artillery pounds nearby Sloviansk, Siversk and Bakhmut. But according to Oleg Malimonienko, who has just reopened his restaurant, people have no choice but to return home. Malimonienko hopes customers -- including some of the Ukrainian soldiers roaming the city -- will flock to his restaurant. For Natalia Kirichenko, soldiers have been a priceless source of income. The shop assistant said servicemen were regular customers and bought the most items, especially knives and daggers. 'When we hear pretty powerful bombardment coming from one side or the other, we feel the threat and wonder what awaits us,' said a resigned Kirichenko. The struggle to get around Kramatorsk has prompted Vladimir Pozolotin's bicycle centre to resume service, the shop employee said, speaking from the basement of a building. Pozolotin has remained in Kramatorsk throughout the war and said he has grown accustomed to the distant rumble of shelling that is sparing the city for now.