A mother faced a devastating tragedy when her 14-year-old daughter was reportedly decapitated by shrapnel from a Russian missile near a playground. This incident occurred on the same day that Ukrainian children were returning to school, amid new airstrikes launched by Russia.
A heartbroken Ukrainian mother recounted the harrowing moment she discovered her 14-year-old daughter had been killed by a Russian missile while sitting on a park bench in Kharkiv. The tragedy began when the girl’s father went missing, presumed dead, in the conflict-ridden Donetsk region and culminated in the girl’s death during a brutal barrage on Ukraine’s second city on Saturday. Distressing footage captured the mother’s profound grief as she broke down, sitting mere meters from her daughter’s devastated body, which was slumped across the bench.
Separate images revealed the horrific aftermath of the attack, showing the girl’s head severely injured by shrapnel, with pools of blood spread across the tarmac beneath her seat. The mother was seen weeping uncontrollably, her legs twitching as she was overtaken by grief, while police and paramedics covered the teenager’s body before transporting it to one of Kharkiv’s morgues.
In her anguish, the mother lamented, “She was just 14 years old… she had her whole life ahead of her,” her face a mix of anger and sorrow. The tragic scene, captured by bystanders and disseminated by officials, highlights the latest wave of violence endured by Ukrainian citizens as Russia continues its relentless bombing campaigns. This latest brutality comes as thousands of Ukrainian children are preparing to return to school.
