Liz Cookman's year freelancing in Ukraine: 'Spirit-crushing but worth fighting for

Liz Cookman's year freelancing in Ukraine: 'Spirit-crushing but worth fighting for

Recent highlights:

1. I arrived in Ukraine in the first week of January amid US warnings of a Russian invasion and headed to the front line in the east before settling for over a month in Mariupol.

2. I was one of the only international journalists to remain in Mariupol after the invasion, but regular missile attacks and editors' safety fears meant it was difficult to report.

3. We – me, two Czech journalists and a Turkish photographer – escaped out of the last open checkpoint in Mariupol, manned by a single Ukrainian soldier who warned that he had no idea what lay ahead.

4. As we drove out of Mariupol and down deserted roads, crisscrossed with fresh tank tracks and past burned-out cars, nearby towns were falling to the Russians

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