Another war casualty – teenage years

Denys (left) and Mykyta walking past a shell-damaged apartment building as their friends follow them in Slovyansk, Ukraine. — The New York Times

THE yawning crater, carved by a Russian missile strike and flooded with water, cut a jagged path through the middle of a city street. The small clique of teenagers passing by found it funny.

“Look, it’s our local pond,” said Denys, 15. “We could dive in for a swim.”