On the holidays, efforts to distract Ukrainian kids from war
In a country where children have seen the horrors of a 10-month war, there are people trying to bring some peace and happiness to kids, at least for a moment during this holiday season in Ukraine KYIV, Ukraine -- In a carpeted meeting room of what used to be a posh hotel, Ukrainian children are screaming with happiness at a performance put on for them and the joy of opening presents. In a country where children have seen the horrors of a 10-month war, there are people trying to bring some peace and happiness to them, at least for a moment during this holiday season in Ukraine. The upscale Venice hotel on the outskirts of Kyiv is now a rehabilitation center housing children who have experienced the horrors of the Russian invasion. “When it’s a holiday , it’s easier,” said Ksenia, a 12-year-old girl from Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine that has been the epicenter of a fierce battle between the Russian and Ukrainian armies. “We forget about the war. It’s easier to distract ,” she adde...