Like many Ukrainians, 28-year-old Valeria Harmash has made Istanbul a haven as she awaits the end of the war in her country and her city, Kharkiv. Conflict is never far away, and it’s not just that she’s left her family behind – in November, she had her brother and uncle fighting on the front lines. In the streets, restaurants and shops of the Turkish metropolis, the young Ukrainian has found an increasing number of Russians. “It’s very difficult because they started the war and then they fled Russia and enjoy life in places like Turkey. It is very painful to see them at Zara, Starbucks and Mango, as if they don’t want to know,” she told Al-Jazeera.
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