As Russia advances, Ukrainians flee once-sleepy mining town
"It's hard, to live in one place and then to tear yourself away. But what can I do? Nothing," said Liubov, who declined to give her surname, as she sat on the bus which would take her away from her hometown.
The frontline has been moving towards Dobropillia - once a sleepy Soviet coal mining town of 30,000 people - for 18 months.
Russian soldiers, who were more than 50 km (30 miles) away at the beginning of last year, are now about 15 km from the edge of the town - close enough for it to come under fire from kamikaze drones carrying explosives.
A half-tonne Russian glide bomb hit the main shopping centre on July 16, killing two people and wounding more than 20.
Denys Naumov, a volunteer aid worker from local aid group Proliska which is helping manage the evacuation, said the situation there had deteriorated over the past two weeks. Around 1,250 people had been evacuated over that time.
"Just now, when we conducted an evacuation, we heard explosions," Naumov told Reuters.
Liubov said she did not see any prospect of a ceasefire, even after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Moscow with tariffs and other measures if it did not make progress on ending the war by end of next week.
"I don't believe it, I don't listen to anyone," she said, shaking her head sadly.
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The Independent
11 minutes ago
- The Independent
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Daily Mail
40 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
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The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
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'I think Trump probably just wants to get a deal of some description,' the former army officer said. 'One just hopes that Trump doesn't try and do some sort of backhand deal with Putin, just so that he can claim that there is now peace in Ukraine, because the short-term peace is no good to anybody.' So who has the upper hand? Right now, it's still up for grabs. But if Trump sticks to his economic guns, and if Putin starts to feel the heat on the home front, the balance might just tip. Will Trump be able to make a deal? That's the trillion-dollar question. Trump insists he's serious. He's been increasingly frustrated with Putin, telling reporters: "Can't answer the question yet. I'll tell you in a matter of weeks, maybe less. But we made a lot of progress." Zelensky says the pressure is working. "It seems that Russia is now more inclined to a ceasefire," he said, but warned, "The main thing is that they do not deceive us in the details – neither us nor the US." 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Saying Moscow now has a free hand to respond, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "Russia no longer considers itself to be constrained by anything. "Therefore Russia believes it has the right to take respective steps if necessary." The trigger, according to Russia, is the planned US deployment of Typhoon and Dark Eagle missiles in Germany starting next year. The Kremlin said the move shattered what remained of strategic stability, accusing Donald Trump's USA of risking "a dangerous escalation of tensions between nuclear powers." It was the clearest warning yet that Vladimir Putin is prepared to redraw the red lines of nuclear deterrence — and challenge the West head-on. Will there be peace in Ukraine? THE prospect of peace in Ukraine remains uncertain as the Russia-Ukraine war continues into its fourth year. While Trump's diplomatic efforts and the planned meeting signal continued U.S. engagement, the gap between Russia's demands and Ukraine's conditions remains wide. Putin's history of stalling and Zelensky's insistence on a full ceasefire and security guarantees suggest that a lasting peace agreement is unlikely in the immediate term without significant concessions from either side. Next week's meeting may produce a framework or memorandum for future talks, as Putin has indicated, but a concrete peace deal appears distant based on current dynamics. Recent US-brokered talks, including direct negotiations in Istanbul on May 16 and June 2, 2025, have yielded no breakthroughs, though agreements on prisoner exchanges signal some dialogue. US President Donald Trump has pushed for a ceasefire, shortening a 50-day deadline for Russia to negotiate or face sanctions, but tensions persist with Russian advances in eastern Ukraine and intensified drone and missile strikes on cities like Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has suggested territorial swaps, while Russia shows little willingness to compromise. With ongoing military escalation and divergent American and European approaches, a lasting peace deal appears distant.
