Russian snipers are still targeting the deserted crossroads into the village of Stoyanka, but Andrii Ostapets hopes to bring food to his neighbours -- and to his cats, if they are still alive. The 69-year-old private museum owner has returned one week after fleeing the village on Kyiv's western edge, having heard that Ukrainian troops were driving back Moscow's forces. Stoyanka has been turned into a ghost village after nearly a month on the western frontline of Russia's attempt to encircle the Ukrainian capital. Moscow has now signalled it had scaled down the aims of its month-old invasion of Ukraine, focusing on the eastern Donbas area instead of on Kyiv. While Ukraine says it is pushing back the stalled Russian advance on the capital in areas such as Stoyanka, just half a kilometre from the western city limits. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES