How a Ukrainian veteran injured fighting for Bakhmut finds peace in pottery

How a Ukrainian veteran injured fighting for Bakhmut finds peace in pottery

The faces of the men Ivan trained come to him in his dreams. They melt and turn into skulls in the mud. Their bodies broken by mortar rounds, they call to him — "save me." In the middle of the night, Ivan gets up from his bed. Anastasia, his girlfriend, stirs and goes back to sleep. She is used to this routine. Ivan finds his way to the next room, where he takes a lump of clay and runs his fingers over the damp material, gauging its size. With a…