 Welcome to the Voice of America's Newswords. Ukrainian troops have regained control of towns around the capital Kyiv after Russian troops moved out of the area. Despair In the northern town of Borodienka, people seeing their homes for the first time since the Russian invasion were filled with anger and despair. In nearby Bucha, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of war crimes for the deaths of civilians. Despair is an emotion. It means extreme sadness and hopelessness. Despair can also be a verb, meaning to lose all hope.