Ukrainian children no longer fear the sound of explosions
Ukrainian children at a local orphanage adapt to a new reality, turning their school into a ‘humanitarian hub’ to respond to the country’s needs.
Call them the children of war.
Survivors of suffering.
Ukraine's youngest and bravest.
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Whatever term the world chooses to give them amid the Russia-Ukraine war, some Ukrainian children who have been hiding for their lives are now no longer fearful of the sound of explosives in their home country.
An armed serviceman of Donetsk People's Republic militia walks past a building damaged during fighting in Mariupol, Ukraine, on Wednesday. (AP/Alexei Alexandrov)
These are kids from Kharkiv who are in hiding — and they're not afraid of the tremors and terrors of war because they've been through so much and are, somehow, still standing.
"I'm used to it, and I'm not afraid of explosives," one child told Fox News' Griff Jenkins recently as the child stood beside a fellow resident in an orphanage somewhere in Ukraine.
A local resident looks at a damaged building after heavy fighting near the Illich Iron and Steel Works Metallurgical Plant, in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces in Mariupol, on Saturday, April 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov)
"Even if I hear explosions, I won't be scared," the boy added, according to a translation of his words.
He and the others with him ran into the basement of their building when they first heard the sounds of bombing and shelling.
They've been running and hiding for their lives ever since.
A man rides a motorbike past a house damaged by shelling in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Thursday, April 7, 2022. Ukraine is telling residents of its industrial heartland to leave while they still can after Russian forces withdrew from the shattered outskirts of Kyiv to regroup for an offensive in the country's east.
Today, the children are in a new location, which has not been disclosed for their safety.
And their fear has turned to defiance — and, yes, hope in the face of war.
"Even if I hear explosions, I won't be scared."
The school and the orphanage where the children are currently located is now a partial "humanitarian hub."
It's become a place to collect and organize donations of food, clothing, medical supplies and more for fellow Ukrainians who most need help and who are on the front lines of the fight against Russian troops.
Firefighters work to extinguish multiple fires after a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Saturday, April 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
For the longer term, the older children dream of continuing their studies and going on to lead happy, prosperous lives when they can.
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But for the immediate term, one child summed up in a single dramatic word what he wishes for most: "Victory."
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