KHARKIV, Ukraine — The majestic square in Ukraine’s second-largest city is quiet this December. There is no Christmas tree or light show or pop-up skating rink.
“That would have all been nice,” says 17-year-old Danyil Prokopenko, bundled in a down coat as he walks into a subway station. “But we have found our own way to celebrate.”
He walks downstairs, past a shivering young man busking for coins, and to the subway platform. Few people are boarding the train. Instead most are gathering around a modest Christmas tree decorated with incandescent white bulbs and a white star.
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