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With fighting raging in eastern Ukraine as winter sets in, attention is also shifting to the war's southern front in Zaporizhzhya, where Ukrainian forces are eager to cut Russian forces off from the so-called "land bridge" connecting the Crimean Peninsula to the mainland.
Many Ukrainians fleeing the war have sought refuge in nearby Bulgaria. But critics say the government's support for refugees has been chaotic and insubstantial, meaning that highly skilled workers and professionals have no other options but to take menial work.
Energy officials blame low tariffs for poor performance, but leaders fear hikes will cause backlashes as energy shortages plague Central Asian countries.
"If a year ago somebody had told me I'd become a partisan or kill somebody, I'd have laughed at them. But here we are," says Vladyslav Nedostup, a sociology graduate and car-parts dealer who sought "bloody revenge" after a former classmate and her daughter were killed by a Russian missile.
They were supposed to meet this week -- technical experts, engineers, and treaty officials from Russia and the United States – to find a way to resume nuclear weapons inspections. Moscow pulled out at the eleventh hour, alarming arms experts, who say it’s a bad omen, now and for future talks.