Following another week of intensive and lethal Russian bombardment of Ukraine's cities, a composite image has been doing the rounds on Ukrainian social media.
Underneath an old, black-and-white photo of Londoners queuing at a fruit and vegetable stall surrounded by the bombed-out rubble of the Blitz, a second image - this time in colour - creates a striking juxtaposition.
Taken on Saturday, it shows shoppers thronging to similar stalls in a northern suburb of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, while a column of black smoke rises ominously in the background.
Bombs can't stop markets, reads the caption linking the two images.
The night before, as the city's sleep was interrupted once again by the now all-too-familiar booms of missile and drone strikes, two people were killed and nine others injured.
The implication is clear. Rather than destroying public morale, Russia's dramatic ramping up of attacks on Ukrainian cities is conjuring a spirit of resilience reminiscent of 1940s Britain.
When I visited the market - with the black fumes still billowing from a nearby missile strike - that sense of fortitude was evident. But there was plenty of fear, too.
Halyna, selling dried prunes and mushrooms, told me she saw little cause for optimism.
In my opinion, according to the scriptures of the saints, this war hasn't even started yet. It will get worse, way worse, she shared, reflecting the sentiment of many Ukrainian citizens.
Despite lingering concerns, inspiring memes about blitz-spirit highlight a more pressing issue for Ukraine: how to effectively combat the aggression and secure peace.
With President Donald Trump proclaiming his powers as a peacemaker, the discourse around how to handle Russia intensifies. The question of whether Ukraine should negotiate with or actively fight its aggressor has been a topic of serious debate since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, and with the conflict entering a new phase post full-scale invasion, the taboo word 'appeasement' is resurfacing in discussions worldwide.
As the brutality of warfare escalates and civilian casualties mount — nearly 2,000 in the past year with current totals exceeding 14,000 — it has become increasingly evident that the cost of peace, whether through force or negotiation, remains disproportionately high.
Resilient markets may symbolize hope, but citizens like Fedir and Yevhen Mahda understand the reality: conflict requires strength, and concessions often only embolden aggressors.
In the backdrop of contentious discussions among world leaders, it becomes clear that for Ukraine, the stakes have never been higher.
