To understand the dogged stubbornness of president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, you must come to his hometown of Kryvyi Rih in south-central Ukraine. The name means curved horn, an allusion to the 125km arc of iron mines and steel plants which make Kryvyi Rih the longest municipality in Europe. Heavy industry is the main employer. Kryvyi Rii has been called the most Soviet of Ukrainian cities. Dreary, late Soviet architecture is alleviated by a profusion of trees. Russian remains the mother tongue of many citizens. Professor Andrii Shaikan is the rector of the State University of Economy and Technology and was a...