Luckily, the residents were next door having coffee. Shells landed either side of one house, crushing the garage and severely damaging the bedroom next to it, while another shell took out the kitchen. Nataly says that, uncharacteristically, she sent her security guards home the night the village hall was bombed. God forbid the Russians come, but if they do, we will defend ourselves.” Most people fled the city and just come back just to feed the dogs and cats. Standing in the rubble that was once her office, she told me: “There aren’t many people left, mostly the elderly and people who have no place to go. The roads are quiet save the occasional sound of shelling.Īs we drive through, we are met by the national guard, who escort us to meet the village head, Nataly Panashiy. Limany is normally 3,000 in population, but most have fled. Subscribe to the Ukraine War Diaries on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Spreaker It blocks Russia’s road to the trading hub of Odesa, and Nadia’s so-called “shield” is just a village of small holdings to the south, where the mostly retired population live in terror.Īs I’m leaving, Nadia says: “Tell the world to close the skies over Ukraine.” The port town of Mikoliav is the main shipbuilding hub of the Black Sea. Nadia, defiantly, describes her small village as “the shield of Mykoliav”. If anything, the retreat from Kyiv could spell greater trouble here, as the Russians regroup and focus their campaign on the Donbas and the southern coastline. While in northern Ukraine the Russians have retreated, it is quite the opposite in the east and south. I’m convinced victory will be ours, despite how hard and bitter the victory will be.” The former headmistress says she won’t leave: “I don’t want to go to another county and be preserved like a museum artefact – this is my land. Few politicians from Mr Khan’s ruling party were present for the process, according to Reuters. Opposition parties were able to secure 174 votes in the 342-member house in support of the no-confidence motion. Pakistan’s chief justice in turn prepared the Supreme Court to find the government in contempt of court if it failed to allow the confidence vote to be heard before midnight. Mr Khan had held meetings with senior military figures prompting fears he would attempt to declare martial law to retain power. Opposing politicians accused him of treason by attempting to subvert the Supreme Court’s demand. The lead-up to the vote was tumultuous in Pakistan’s parliament with members of Mr Khan’s party attempting to prevent the vote from proceeding. He has accused his opponents of colluding with the US to remove him but has provided no evidence, and has urged people to take to the streets this weekend in protest. Mr Khan, an Oxford graduate and former cricket star, surged to power in 2018 but recently lost his parliamentary majority and a prominent newspaper described him “as good as gone”. Imran Khan has urged people to protest this weekend