All my friends are gone: A young Ukrainian in Kharkiv

Many of those left in the city hole up in bombed-out carcasses of buildings

Daniil, 16, stands in front of what's left of his school. He had one year to go before finishing his studies. He now dreams of moving somewhere stable. (Photo by Eiji Furukawa)

EIJI FURUKAWA, contributing writer

August 8, 2022 13:04 JST

KHARKIV, Ukraine -- Russia's ongoing shelling of Ukraine's second largest city has turned this metropolis into a dreary landscape of destruction.

Under relentless bombardments, Ukrainian forces have managed to keep Russian troops from capturing the city, and in May even pushed many of the invaders out of suburbs and into areas close to the Russian border.