I'm in my place' The artist who swapped Italy for war-torn Kharkiv

Unlike younger men, who must stay in Ukraine in case they are mobilised into the army, Pavlo Makov, 66, could leave the country if he wanted.

- Charlotte Higgins

Instead, the artist, one of Ukraine's most senior and respected cultural figures, is living in Kharkiv.

About 18 miles from the Russian border, Ukraine's second city suffers missile attacks every night - only to spring to life in the daytime, when parks, cafes and restaurants fill up with those brave or stubborn enough to cling on to life here.

Makov and his family escaped Kharkiv and lived for a time in Italy at the beginning of the war in 2022. But, like many Ukrainians, he found living away from home more stressful than being present, despite the bombs.

"I could have stayed in Italy but realised I was losing my senses. After six months you lose the ability to understand what you are doing there. When we came back I immediately thought: 'OK, I'm in my place.'"

Makov has recently renovated a new studio in the city. It is on the ground floor: less vulnerable to air attack than his old, fourth-floor place. Its windows are small for an artist's studio - but practical for a city where glass gets blown out of buildings every day.

On an easel is a large, bold new drawing in vivid shades of emerald and orange - a departure for Makov who, for years, has worked mostly in highly intricate monochrome prints and graphite pencil.

It is a drawing of a somewhat battered urban weed that grows in the cracks in the pavement. "It's exactly how I feel myself now: a bit ruined but still alive," Makov said.