Grim Luhansk wary of Ukraine's shaky truce

BBC ^ | 17 September 2014 | Paul Adams

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Luhansk is licking its wounds. After a long summer of bombardment by government forces, it is mourning its dead and slowly coming back to life.

But it is a grim, pessimistic place, full of hardship and queues.

Under a green tent, a quiet line of grateful citizens waits for a decent plate of food, courtesy of one the few soup kitchens operating across the city.

There is still no electricity or water in the city, so thousands of people depend on handouts. Rebellious past

I find Anatoly Bukhalov sitting alone in the corner. When he finds out we're from Britain, he breaks into song, rattling off the chorus of Back in the USSR.

He used to sing Beatles covers with a college band, back in 1969. It nearly got him thrown out.

His face lights up when he recalls his rebellious past, but when we talk about Luhansk today, he despairs.

"Some say the fighting will start again tomorrow," he says. "That there will be bombing again. No-one is saying tomorrow will be better."

Anatoly makes a point of thanking Vladimir Putin for coming to the city's help. A convoy of 220 trucks arrived in the city last weekend, carrying food and other humanitarian supplies.

We find some of the aid being housed in an industrial warehouse. Boxes of bandages and tourniquets are piled high to the ceiling.

With fighters and civilians all talking about further conflict, it's hard not to see supplies like this as part of their preparations.