Last night Kyiv was rocked by explosions, coming ever closer to city centre, which painted the sky orange. When the night curfew lifts, Liana and her mother Vera make a dash to the shops to check for supplies - including cat food - on fast-emptying shelves. Then she settles in to try to read the tome she packed for what could be a long and anxious haul. It"s a Russian-language version of Homer"s the Iliad, a rare book given two centuries ago to Russia"s Catherine the Great, the empress known for bringing Russia into Europe"s cultural and political life.