The blast came without warning. A Russian missile ripped through a cluster of townhouses on the edge of Kyiv, tearing facades from nearby apartment blocks and scattering debris across the streets like lumps of confetti.

The neighborhood was left stunned by the destruction. But within hours in September, it was transformed again — this time by volunteers who rushed in to stitch life back together.

Tractors and earth movers were used to clear rubble while neighbors hammered in particle boards and pieces of tarp over broken windows. Smashed glass was constantly carried away in paint buckets.

From kitchens still intact, families carried donated bags of beetroot, potatoes and onions. They cooked batches of steaming borscht to feed those suddenly without stoves. The chaos has become a familia

See Full Page