At 12 years old, Vira Palamarchuk shouldn’t have a care in the world.
At 12 years old, she should not be tired, or sad, or worried. She should not be glued to the media, closely watching from over 4,600 miles away as Russia attacks Ukraine, her home country, where her father is fighting on the front lines.
At 12 years old, she should not be left to wonder whether he is alive or dead.
“It really is, like, you don’t want to even know what’s happening,” Vira said of the war from her home in Montauk. “I’m not on my phone anymore. I don’t look at the news anymore, because I don’t want to know. I just want to know if my family is okay and if my friends are okay. You see all those pictures and you don’t even want to …”
She paused, her voice hitching. “You feel bad for being safe,” she said. “That’s the feeling I get.”
Read More