Little Sasha, his 37-year-old mother Kateryna Antypenko, and his 58-year-old grandmother Viktoria Bondarenko. Three generations of one family who were killed in a Russian attack on Pryluky in the Chernihiv region.
Olena Zelenska, the First Lady of Ukraine, published a moving post about the victims of the bombing. She also described the deaths of children from a neighboring apartment and the drama of rescue workers searching the building’s ruins.
Three generations of one family were killed in Pryluky
Just a day earlier, they were living together on the fifth floor of a building in the Ukrainian city of Pryluky. Sasha was not yet two years old. His mother, Kateryna Antypenko, was 37, and his grandmother, Viktoria Bondarenko, was 58.
All three were killed in the Russian attack.
Olena Zelenska, the wife of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, wrote about their deaths.
“In three months he would have turned two. The boy Sasha. His 37-year-old mother Kateryna Antypenko. Grandmother, 58-year-old Viktoria Bondarenko. Just yesterday they were all living on the fifth floor of a building in Pryluky. Today all three — three generations of one family — were killed by a Russian missile.”
The First Lady of Ukraine also reported the deaths of their neighbors. According to her account, a 13-year-old girl, her eight-year-old brother, and their parents were killed in the same attack.
“If only they’re alive!” Rescuers carried children out of the rubble
Olena Zelenska described dramatic scenes from the site of the Russian strike. Rescuers searched the destroyed building, carrying children out from under the debris. Some were wrapped in blankets.
“Rescuers are coming out of the ruins, carrying children in their arms. Some are carefully wrapped in little blankets… «If only they’re alive!» — that is the only thought that comes to mind when you see these images.”
At the time the post was published, Ukraine’s First Lady reported five children and 14 adults killed. More than 50 people, including children, were said to be in hospitals.
Zelenska pointed out that two of the children killed were the age of little Sasha. They were born already during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and did not live to see the end of the war.
Victims also in Kremenchuk and Oleksandria
Ukraine’s First Lady also mentioned tragedies in other cities.
In Kremenchuk, a mother mourned her son killed in a Russian attack. In Oleksandria, according to the information she cited, two more people were killed.
Zelenska also pointed to ongoing Russian drone attacks on Kyiv.
Her post was not a tally of losses. Above all, it was an appeal to notice the human suffering that lies behind reports of further bombings.
Protected birds were also reportedly killed in the Russian attack
Olena Zelenska drew attention to one more consequence of Russian strikes. According to her account, the “Sadyba Niuszanik” bird rescue center „Sadyba Niuszanik”, where injured animals were treated, was hit.
As a result of the fire, birds belonging to protected species were reportedly killed.
“What is the life of injured birds during a war compared to a human life? But for us, in Ukraine, it matters too.”
Olena Zelenska appeals for humanity
Concluding her post, Ukraine’s First Lady emphasized that humanity consists not only in recognizing one’s own suffering, but also in responding to the harm done to others.
“Humanity is an attempt to end another person’s suffering and stop their tormentor. We in Ukraine are trying to do that. Once again, I call on everyone who considers themselves people guided by humanity to do the same.”
Olena Zelenska’s statement reminds us that behind every report about the number of those killed there are specific people and families. Among them was little Sasha, who in three months was to celebrate his second birthday.
Source: Olena Zelenska’s post. Quotes translated from Ukrainian. The victim figures refer to the information provided by the First Lady at the time her post was published.
Journalist and Editor-in-Chief of Nowiny Wschodnie, a news platform followed by more than 140,000 people on social media. A graduate in Journalism and Social Communication, he has been co-creating and developing Nowiny Wschodnie since 2017. He gained professional experience working with local and international media.
He specializes in fact-checking, countering disinformation and propaganda, and information security. His work focuses on Poland, Ukraine, Eastern Europe, and Polish-Ukrainian relations. He is also the founder of a non-profit organization working in the fields of integration and intercultural dialogue.
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