The front lines and Ukraine's east are long and deadly, but all along them, as Russian and

Ukrainian forces hammer each other day in and doubt, civilians are caught in between.

And as we now too often see in war, it's the civilians who sometimes suffer the most, in this case,

one of the most agonizing choices to stay and face the unknown or flee.

Special correspondent Jack Houston reports from eastern Ukraine.

The wind is blowing against Ukraine in the deserted streets of Minarad, a name which means Peace Town.

The familiar signs of Russia's destructive advance are everywhere, ruins, rubble and the distant sound of shell fire.

Russia is on the brink of taking this town two miles east of the vital strategic hub of Pecrofts, but there is little

left to occupy. 28,000 people have been evacuated from here in the last two weeks alone, and that's because the Russians have been making gains towards here at 300 meters to a kilometer a day, the fastest gains they've made since the original invasion in 2022.

As so often in this war it is civilians that suffer most.

At the daily evacuation bus are some of the last to leave. Among them is

inner. She already escaped bombardment in Avdivka, a city 25 miles southeast that fell in February.

After I survived all those horrible things,

when I was woken up by the glass that was shattering and falling on me. I'm not ready to feel that fear again. When I heard the shots here, my body jerked each time uncontrollably. My nervous system can't stand that. I'm scared. I just want to wake up and see the sunshine and

hear birds twittering you know I want silence

it seems like these the Ina is fleeing. In the Prokrowsk area

Schelling has terrorised civilians in recent weeks

prompting a government evacuation. But some residents are determined to stay.

We drive to the town's southern limits to find them, past these tank defences, it's open

road until the front.

Russian guns are just a few miles from here, and drones may be watching,

so we seek cover in the back streets.

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