The Great Read: He Survived the Invasion. What He Really Wanted Was a Friend.
During the war, a Ukrainian boy lost his home, his father and his friends. Could he find new buddies at a camp in the mountains?
The New York Times
The Great Read

October 30, 2025, 2:01 p.m. Eastern time

On weekdays and Sundays, we recommend one piece of exceptional writing from The Times — a narrative or essay that takes you someplace you might not expect to go.

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Oksana Parafeniuk for The New York Times

He Survived the Invasion. What He Really Wanted Was a Friend.

During the war, a Ukrainian boy lost his home, his father and his friends. Could he find new buddies at a camp in the mountains?

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