Kyiv’s emergence from the shadow of war

Kyiv didn't feel like a city bracing itself for 150,000 Russian soldiers to cross the border into Ukraine.

Arriving in Kyiv in January I decided to brave the supermarket near my flat. You could get your hands on just about any kind of meat or vegetable it seemed, even a pint of beer on aisle six.

"It's all a bluff", "we're at war already", were the most common responses when I asked people whether they were worried about what seemed to be the unthinkable at the time.

Of course, within five weeks that all changed. Some in the West predicted Kyiv would fall within 72 hours.

Over a period of 100 days the city has gone from stubborn normality, through complete darkness, and is now emerging into some sort of calm.

It's still far from what it was before the war, but it's nevertheless a picture of defiance.