Ukraine cafe gives comfort as war nears

Inside her cafe in the front line Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, Anna appeared calm as she poured a cappuccino. Russian troops are barely 10km from the city but here, the sounds of war are drowned out by the whir of the coffee machine.

Pokrovsk - Inside her cafe in the front line Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, Anna appeared calm as she poured a cappuccino.

Russian troops are barely 10km from the city but here, the sounds of war are drowned out by the whir of the coffee machine.

“Our defenders need us,” the 35 year old said, praising the many Ukrainian soldiers stationed in the city.

“They also want to have their good cup of hot coffee,” she added.

Despite urgent calls to evacuate as Moscow’s army closes in, thousands of people have chosen to stay in Pokrovsk, often elderly residents.

Anna’s cafe, with its window display of candy-pink doughnuts, offers a semblance of normality to those who have remained.