Inside the city under Russian siege

Had I been on the pier just a few days earlier, strolling past the penny arcades, I would have heard the distinctive whompf of Russian artillery fire. Ukrainian politicians are keen to turn the city of Mariupol (population 440,000) into a resort akin to those in Crimea and Turkey. Yet despite the pleasant climate, it feels more like Port Talbot than a subtropical holiday spot. The vast industrial limbs of the city’s deep water port, built by Tsar Alexander III in the 1880s, crawl across the horizon. By the time the Azov Sea reaches the town, its clear blue waters have been tinged a muddy brown.

Ukraine’s most recent casualties came during the sudden build-up of Russian troops just a few miles away. One of their number, a member of the marine corps, was killed by a sniper: the headshot tore apart his helmet, now held at his regimental barracks as a memorial.