"We just couldn't hold the line they were just pushing forward with such force."

Syrian government officials and supporters were still asserting the army would hold the line at Hama, even as insurgent fighters were entering the city.

In other words, Ukraine needs much more help to protect its sovereignty and hold the line against Russian expansionism.

The result is a fascinating portrait about holding the line, in which the territory is as much a collective state of mind as an encroached-upon sovereignty.

He said it had to "drive in the middle of the road over the chevrons to hold the line" as a result of the speed it was travelling.