A Small, Stubborn Town: Life, death and defiance in Ukraine – ‘The mesmerising story of how in the face of a mighty army, ordinary people can say "No."' Mail on Sunday

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But also, people sinking low, pulled into the grey zone of the past Soviet and current Russian occupation. If Russian troops could capture Voznesensk, and its small, strategic bridge, then they might be able to seize the whole Black Sea Coast and end the war in days.

Earlier this month, its troops blew up the Kakhovka dam, flooding settlements and towns on either side of the Dnipro River.

After the shootout, Voznesensk’s funeral director drove his van around the surrounding hills and woods, picking up the bodies of Russians and stuffing them into transparent bags. Philippe Sands'We are touched by the courage and dignity of Andrew Harding's characters - qualities that the author must surely possess in equal measure. This short book gives helpful insights to a war that can feel a little abstract for those of us on the other side of the globe!

A short but brilliant book, Harding tells the story of Voznesensk, the small, southern Ukrainian farm that fought off the Russian Army's invasion in March 2022, facing down unbelievable odds, and winning. This is an improbable but true story of incredible courage, heartbreaking loss (Voznesensk's defence wasn't a bloodless one) and sheer bloody-mindedness.Mail on Sunday: “A mesmerising story of how in the face of a might army, ordinary people can sometimes turn and simply say, ‘No. Anyway, if you are a fan of underdog narratives and want a portrait of a small provincial town in the south of Ukraine taking a valiant, against-all-odds stand against the Russian army in the early days of the full-scale invasion, this is the book for you. Each street-level detail illuminates a bigger truth: why Ukraine succeeded in resisting Russia’s shock and awe onslaught last year, and how Moscow’s brazen attempt to subjugate an independent nation failed. Arkady Ostrovsky (Journalist and podcaster - “Next Year in Moscow): “A captivating tale of one Ukrainian town, a microcosm of war and a heartening story of people’s defiance, ingenuity and spirit. Superb writing and poetic storytelling sheds light on the heroic spirit and immense bravery of ordinary people determined to defend their homeland.

Their weapons were a box of grenades, AK-47s and NLAW anti-armour missiles, supplied by the British. The dignity of very ordinary people looking around, shrugging, saying essentially "well, I guess that'll have to be me" and making a stand. Cinematic and gripping - a must read for anyone trying to grasp both the human dimension and larger dynamics of events in this brutal contemporary war. It's a very gentle frog's-eye view of a total war, with loving portraits of the people who are overlooked at the best of times: people who had fallen through the cracks of history and welfare networks, living with passports of a country that collapsed more than 30 years ago. One day soon when the war is over, I look forward to watching the movie based on the events depicted in this book!Eventually the Russians pulled out, abandoning many armoured vehicles, “supplies spilling out of them like the guts of gored animals”. In March 2022, one week after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, a small farming town in the south of the country became the unlikely focus of the Kremlin’s attention.