First time visitors to Donetsk could be forgiven for forgetting that this stylish city nestled in the industrial heartlands of Ukraine is surrounded on all sides by monstrous coalfields and sweeping mine country. Indeed, the downtown smattering of shiny buildings, bars and eateries does well to hide its outer mechanisation.
But unexpected class is not Donetsk’s only surprise. Far from it. For one, the city was founded by the unlikely Welshman, John Hughes, who came here by invitation of the Russian tsars to raise the blast furnaces and sink the collieries. For two, the city stands at the very heart of Ukraine’s oldest of nationalist uncertainties, between the curious cultural divide of Russia and Europe, east and west. 
Today, those interested in unravelling this truly curious history should ask their Donetsk tourist guide for directions to the city’s Regional History Museum, the Forged Figures Park, or perhaps just the Yuzovskaya Pivovarnya, where it’s possible to raise a frothy beer to the city’s founder!