If the advancing Russian army crosses the bridge in their town fast, it might then cut off the main route from Kyiv to Odesa, which Won't Be Good (an understatement). 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! Looking at different perspectives, we see how grandmas, young alcoholics, Russian soldiers, and Ukrainian defenders all respond. Reporter Andrew Harding tells the story of the small Ukrainian town Voznesensk during the initial stages of the Russian invasion in March 2022.

Harding’s fine book points to why Ukraine has outperformed expectations in Washington and London, continues to fight on, and may just win this 21st-century David v Goliath struggle. Luke Harding in The Observer: “This gripping story is the literary equivalent of a superb miniature painting.A brilliant insight into the early days of the war in Ukraine through the story of one incredible town. 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. 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. Eventually the Russians pulled out, abandoning many armoured vehicles, “supplies spilling out of them like the guts of gored animals”. This short punchy account of a few days in the now interminable invasion by Putin of Ukraine is fascinating on many levels.

This is an improbable but true story of incredible courage, heartbreaking loss (Voznesensk's defence wasn't a bloodless one) and sheer bloody-mindedness.Fiona Hill (Russia expert and author of “There Is Nothing For You Here): “Fascinating, vivid, often harrowing, and also deeply moving. I'm the author of "These Are Not Gentle People," a true-crime novel set in South Africa and published in South Africa, the UK and the Netherlands. One of them shouted to the Ukrainian volunteers sitting in it and out of ammunition: “Guys, we’re with you. When Russian troops approached the small farming town of Voznesensk, they were not expecting a battle.

Lindsey HIlsum (Channel Four News): “This gripping account is the Russian invasion of Ukraine in microcosm. In a poignant scene, a Ukrainian mother, Anna, collected what was left of her 21-year-old son Serhii, torn apart by a tank shell. One day soon when the war is over, I look forward to watching the movie based on the events depicted in this book! 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.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. But also, people sinking low, pulled into the grey zone of the past Soviet and current Russian occupation.

Earlier this month, its troops blew up the Kakhovka dam, flooding settlements and towns on either side of the Dnipro River. Svetlana, a grandmother with arthritis, reacts in fury when Russian troops turn her cottage into their blood-soaked headquarters. Andrey Kurkov (Ukrainian author of “Grey Bees”): It would be wonderful if the story told in this beautiful little book were the author's invention. Photograph: State Emergency Service Of Ukraine/Reuters View image in fullscreen A building in Voznesensk destroyed by a Russian missile. Their weapons were a box of grenades, AK-47s and NLAW anti-armour missiles, supplied by the British.Very sad and terrifying at times - it doesn't hold too many punches when it comes to the realities of war. His slim 135-page book is a riveting and vividly written account of how Voznesensk fought back against Russia’s war machine – and won. Valentin, a quick-talking lawyer, joins the town's 'Dads Army' defenders, crouching in a trench with an AK47. It was praised by the New York Times, The Economist, The Washington Post and chosen as one of NPR's books of 2016. Meanwhile, 21-year-old Sergei grabs a Molotov cocktail and lies in wait for Russian tanks as they push towards Dead Water Bridge.