‘It’s not the end’: The children who survived Bucha’s horror

By CARA ANNA and RODRIGO ABD
Associated Press

BUCHA, Ukraine (AP) — Bucha witnessed some of the ghastliest scenes of Russia’s invasion, and almost no children have been seen in its silent streets. The many bright playgrounds in the town, once a popular community with good schools near the capital, Kyiv, are empty. But beside an apartment building spray-painted “CHILDREN,” Bucha’s fragile renewal can be seen. A small group of neighborhood children have gathered here, finding distraction from the war. A wooden box once used for ammunition now holds a teddy bear and other toys. A father says that “it’s hard to explain for the smaller ones that war is still going on.”