Christmas in Kyiv: “The Cold and Loneliness Scared Me—Not the Russian Missiles”

At one point, I drove to see Roman (whose name I have changed to protect his identity). He is a young tax clerk in his early 30s who lost his home and his health in March when Russian forces encircled and partially occupied his hometown, Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv. The sky was nearly ink-dark by 4 p.m. as a colleague and I set out for Irpin, which had endured fierce fighting as part of the first Kyiv offensive. The town became infamous when images went viral, showing civilians taking cover under a bridge that had been deliberately bombed… Read Full Article