In downtown Zaporizhzhia, the Dnieper is a map pinned to the wall, a few souvenirs and all those men driven from the banks of the river by the Russian invasion. An administrative building became the refuge of municipal employees in Enerhodar – a city occupied by the Russians but many of whose inhabitants found themselves 120 kilometers further north.

In an office that is too small is Dmytro Orlov, the exiled mayor of Eerhodar. Before his mandate, which began in 2020...