Nine-year-old Maksym was excited to play his first piano concert when life as he knew it was torn apart due to the war in Ukraine. As a result of shelling, Maksym and his family had to flee their home and travel to the Lviv Academic Theatre, which is currently used as a transit centre for refugees. Maksym packed up only a few things to take with him – including some musical scores. Music has provided Maksym with a way of escaping, just briefly, from the horrors of the conflict. “When I play the piano, I forget about the war,” he says. The family doesn’t know when they’ll be able to return home. But he is already dreaming of what he will do when there is peace. “I want to return to this theatre as a spectator to watch a play,” Maksym says. UNICEF/ 2022/ FILIPPOV