“I hope my dad, who is protecting Ukraine, comes back for Christmas. Please help Dad come.”
Six-year-old Ukrainian girl Kaya sent a letter to Saint Nicholas with her wishes ahead of Christmas. Kaya’s father, Dmitry, is a member of the 47th Mechanized Brigade, fighting against Russia in Audijivka, a major battleground in eastern Ukraine.
On the 23rd (local time), CNN reported the story in a letter to St. Nicholas from Ukrainian children celebrating their second Christmas during the war. According to this, as Russia continued its attacks on infrastructure over the past month, Ukrainian children had a dreary Christmas with electricity, heating, and water cut off or supply disruptions.
The New Year’s wish of Solomiya, an 11-year-old girl who lost her family in war, is peace. Solomiya’s father died while participating in the 2014 war in which Russia forcibly annexed the Crimean peninsula. Eight years later, when Russia invaded again, Solomiya and her family moved from Bucha, a town outside Kiev, to northwestern Ukraine.
Brothers Artem (7) and Timofy (6), who came to Munich, Germany a year and a half ago, said their wishes to St. Nicholas were, respectively, “Peace, health, a blossoming Ukraine” and “Peace, family, Ukraine, dad, God.” ” he wrote. “I hope (St. Nicholas) is not shot down by the air defense system,” Katya, 12, who lives in Kiiu, a city frequented by Russian drones and missiles, wrote in a letter. This is because Kiiu’s air defense system shoots down most of the artillery fire, but loud explosions are sometimes heard.
According to the United Nations, at least 560 children have died since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year. Including these, the number of civilian deaths exceeds 10,000, and the number of injured reaches 18,500. The actual number is estimated to be higher if the number of deaths in combat zones where confirmation is difficult is added.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.