Kramatorsk endures front-line siege as shops close and civilians brace for attacks

The Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, perched on the front line with Sloviansk, is fortified with concrete "dragon's teeth" and extensive barbed-wire defenses as Russian forces claim territory nearby. Amid the constant sound of artillery, a few commercial venues persist: the Chudo supermarket remains well supplied, while the Zaboy store, which sold patriotic apparel and coffee, announced its shutdown within a week of the reporter’s visit.

Kateryna Seledtsova’s Coffee House Bakery, a neon-lit pastry shop, continues to serve comfort food, though she commutes three times weekly from Kharkiv and has moved her son to relatives in Kharkiv for safety. Veteran volunteer Olga operates a garage-café that was struck by three 250-kg guided bombs, killing six people, among them her close friend Svitlana, and leaving the establishment in a heavily damaged district. Despite the trauma, Olga returned to work, though she admits the café now struggles financially and she is torn between staying and leaving the city.