‘The most vulnerable’ As the war rages on, Ukrainian volunteers bring holiday gifts to children living on the front lines

On December 6, Ukraine celebrates St. Nicholas Day. For over a decade, volunteers from the NGO Ukrainian Frontiers have marked this day by traveling to communities heavily affected by the war, delivering gifts to children as part of their St. Nicholas’ Reindeers initiative, reports the Associated Press. Ahead of the holiday, children write letters that blend the horrors of war with wishes echoing the dreams of kids worldwide. “My father is in captivity, and I live with my mother and brother,” one child writes, before requesting a ball to support his budding soccer career. “Children are those who have no choice whatsoever. No one asks them whether they want to stay or leave,” says project psychologist Kateryna Shutalova. “What happens to them is never their choice. And this makes them the most vulnerable.”