The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

A displaced Ukrainian dad asked for Legos for his son. Gifts poured in.

“We left all our Lego in Ukraine,” Igor Sidorov wrote on Facebook. “Help me please!"

April 8, 2022 at 6:00 a.m. EDT
Andrii Sidorov, 11, with one of his Lego creations. When he fled Ukraine in late February, he was forced to leave behind his cherished Lego collection. (Courtesy of Igor Sidorov)
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When 11-year-old Andrii Sidorov fled Kyiv in late February, he packed a small suitcase of essential items. He had no choice but to leave his prized Lego collection behind.

“He was so sad,” said his father, Igor Sidorov, who drove with two of his four sons to Vienna on Feb. 23, just before Russia launched its assault on Ukraine. His two older sons — ages 19 and 16 — stayed to fight in the war. Their mother remained in Kyiv, too.