"Really, it's just about putting those children first."

With the frontline barely shifting, certainly not in Kyiv's favour, and soldiers dying each day, the country is starting to ask some very tough questions: about this war, the endgame and the immense costs.In her own personal battle, Lyudmila still manages to find some cause for hope. Because sometimes the missing do resurface.

In 2023, Leonid Popov was detained in Melitopol, just like Lyudmila's parentsHe'd taken a photograph of Russian military hardware, was chased down the street by soldiers then disappeared.Three months later his father got a call: Leonid had been left at a city hospital, exhausted and severely dehydrated.

The photographs his mother Anna has shared from that day are shocking: the young man's ribs are clearly visible beneath his skin."He told me that he'd been in awful conditions," Anna remembers talking to Leonid that day.

"He said, 'mum, in a word, I was in hell.'"

Over the months, Leonid had been held and interrogated in multiple locations. "They were given plastic plates of buckwheat and a glass of water for about 20 people. When they said they were hungry, they were told to shut up or they'd be shot."A spokeswoman for the watchdog said Ofsted did not comment on individual providers, but confirmed "all three nurseries have been suspended because we are concerned that there is a possible risk of harm to children".

She said concerned parents should contact their local authority about available childcare places. The BBC has approached the owner of the nurseries for a response.The Ofsted spokeswoman said: "We continue to work with other agencies to ensure the safety of the settings."

West Midlands Police told the BBC officers were liaising with Ofsted and the two local authorities.The suspensions had been done in line with Ofsted's