As news of Russia’s invasion spread through Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, Dr. Natalia Lukina was waiting for a taxi at her home. It was 6 a.m., and she was eager to get to work at Kherson Children’s Home, a state-run foster home for institutionalized children with special needs, where she served as a doctor. The doctor and her fellow caregivers faced a wrenching dilemma: how to protect the dozens of vulnerable children. Some had living parents who retained limited custody over them, while others had been removed from troubled homes or abandoned. “Who else would have stayed behind to look after them?” Dr. Lukina said about her decision to remain with the children.

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Persons: Natalia Lukina, Lukina, ” Organizations: Kherson Children’s Locations: Ukraine, Kherson, Kherson City