"They just started shooting everywhere they could see."
Trigger Warning: This story mentions gun violence that the readers may find disturbing.
A ten-year-old girl from Ukraine has been shot dead by “bored” Russian troops who drunkenly fired a volley of shots randomly, according to her grieving family, reports New York Post.
The girl, Anastasia Stoluk, known as Nastya, was killed after the invading troops shot into her house in Shybene, about 40 miles north of Kyiv, her cousin Anya Stoluk, 18, told the Times of London. After the girl died in the incident that took place on February 28, 2022, the soldiers didn't even allow Nastya’s mother, Luba, to go to the cemetery so she was buried in the yard, Anya added.
Anya said that she had last spoken to Luba on the day the little girl died. She added that during the conversation, she could hear Nastya in the background as Luba told her that Russian troops had arrived but everything was calm.
The next day, Anya found out through a friend in the village that her cousin was no more.
Ukraine girl, 10, shot dead by ‘bored and drunk’ Russian troops: family #SmartNews 😢👇🏼 https://t.co/Z7THqiEW1C
— Gloria (@Gloriabesos) March 8, 2022
“People say that the soldiers just got so bored. They were even telling this to people in the village. They looted all the stores in the village, of course they got a lot of alcohol from the stores and got drunk and started shooting. They shot into Nastya’s house, she was there with her uncle, and she died immediately. Her uncle was taken to hospital and we still don’t have any information from him," Anya’s adoptive mother Vera Dmitrienko, 40, said.
Dmitrienko added that the soldiers had started shooting for no reason after a Ukrainian teenage boy found a gun and shot it in the air. “The soldiers heard it but since they were so drunk they didn’t know where it was from so they just started shooting everywhere they could see. They shot in four houses and in one of those houses was Nastya,” she said.
That weekend, Anya's friend got in touch with her again, to tell her that the Russians were taking away phones and there was no electricity or food. “She said that soldiers come into their homes and if they don’t open the door they just break it and can beat you up if you don’t let them take your food,” said Anya, who was born in Shybene.
However, just a few days after the tragic incident, a video appeared on YouTube of a Russian TV report from Shybene, claiming that Russian troops were being welcomed with bread and salt, a traditional Ukrainian offering. But, Dmitrienko said that it is all a farce.
'Drunk #Russian soldiers' shot dead 10-year-old #Ukrainian girl in front of her uncle. https://t.co/BVzGJaOWlU
— Victor Kovalenko (@MrKovalenko) March 8, 2022
“They said the soldiers came and saved the village and people were so happy they welcomed them with bread and salt, but that was not true. They brought actors with them.”
Disclaimer: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a developing story, and we’ll update as we learn more. Information is swiftly changing and Women Working is committed to providing the most recent and verified updates in our articles and reportage. However, considering the frequency in developments, some of the information/data in this article may have changed since the time of publication.
References:
https://nypost.com/2022/03/08/ukraine-girl-killed-by-drunk-bored-russian-troops-family/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Dan Kitwood
