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When news of the Russian invasion spread in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Dr. Natalia Lukina was waiting for a taxi at her house.
It was 6 a. m. and she was scheduled to go to work at the Kherson Children’s Home, a state-run foster home for institutionalized children with special needs, where she painted as a doctor.
By the time he arrived, the roar of artillery fired by Russian troops advancing toward the city of Kherson, the region’s capital, was already echoing through the corridors. The doctor and his fellow caregivers faced a harrowing dilemma: how to protect the dozens of vulnerable children.
All were infants and toddlers, and some suffered from severe disabilities, such as cerebral palsy. Some had living relatives who retained limited custody of them, while others had been kicked out of distraught or abandoned homes.
“Who else would have had to take care of them?Dr. Lukina spoke about his resolve with the children. “Imagine if we all turned our backs and left?
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