'It's devastating': Ukrainian boy, 12, finds refuge in Palm Desert after fleeing war

Maksim Khorin was living in Kyiv, Ukraine, with his family when Russia launched its attacks against the country. Now, the 12-year-old boy has found refuge in Palm Desert — without his parents — to escape from war. 

More than 3.5 million refugees have fled Ukraine due to Russia's invasion of their nation. Many of them have gone to Poland, while others have fled to countries like Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Russia and Moldova. 

Maksim arrived in the United States with his grandparents, Svitlana Nevmerzhytska and Mykola Nevmerzhytskyi. They first drove to Hungary and then took a flight to the United States to stay with his aunt and uncle's family in Palm Desert, said Sam Khodakivskyy, Maksim's cousin. 

The war is baffling, Khodakivskyy said. He is a resident of Palm Desert, but originally from Kyiv.

"I know my hometown, like all the streets and the houses there. I still have friends [there]," he said. "I used to come to visit Ukraine and now it's like just terrifying seeing the streets being bombed, the houses destroyed, lives [being] ruined." 

Read the rest of the story on The Desert Sun’s website here.