‘Everything is left behind’: as Russians close in on Ukrainian city, families agonise whether to flee

In Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, residents have clung on to hope until the bitter end. Now many are saying goodbye to their homes

Valeria Tanashchuk packed up a few last belongings from her home. Going in the evacuation van waiting outside: her daughter Nicole's favourite bear, clothes, items of furniture and a microwave oven. Staying behind: her mother Marina's collection of detective novels, a wall poster with the Ukrainian alphabet written on it, and a pair of furry slippers.

We don't want to leave. But would choice do we have?" Tanashchuk asked, as a thunderous boom echoed nearby. The explosions get worse every day. They are louder and more frequent." What would she do next? I don't have a concrete plan," she said. I will try and find work somewhere. We had hoped until the end that everything would be OK."