The bereaved mother broke down as she knelt on his grave to pray for his soul.
Trigger Warning: This article contains graphic details of war crimes that may be distressing to readers.
No parent should ever go through the pain of planning a funeral for their child.
6-year-old Oleg Kornievski was killed in a Russian artillery attack in eastern Ukraine, reports The Daily Mail. Little Oleg was posing for his mother, Ekaterina, with a bouquet of freshly picked flowers just hours prior to the attack in which he was wounded by shrapnel in front of his house. The next day his mother buried him. She was seen tending to the earth on his grave and breaking down into tears as she knelt on the ground to pray for the little child's soul.
6-year-old Oleg Kornievski was killed in a Russian artillery attack in Lysychansk just days ago.
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 15, 2022
His mother took this picture of him just hours before he was killed. pic.twitter.com/0SoNWrHQEZ
Oleg was one of the three people killed when Russians shelled Lysychansk in the east. Lysychansk has been subjected to constant shelling, while Severodonetsk on the opposite side of the Siverskyi Donets has witnessed the most severe street combat. It was reported that at least one other person was injured in the attack.
Serhiy Haidai, the head of Luhansk region, said that a shopping center was burnt down in the attacks. Other destructions include people's houses, a nursery and a mine. He determined that at least four people were killed and seven wounded in an airstrike on a civilian shelter in Lysychansk on Thursday. Haidai said a separate airstrike also hit a sanatorium building in the city, causing the building to collapse and potentially causing more casualties. “There are likely people trapped under the rubble,” Haidai said of the second attack, with a rescue team underway.
⚡️Prosecutors: Russia’s war has killed at least 323 children in Ukraine since Feb. 24.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) June 18, 2022
More than 583 children have been injured, the Prosecutor General’s Office said on June 18.
Another heartbreaking story involves 13-year-old Elisei Ryabukon getting killed while trying to escape Russian soldiers attacking. "On 11 March, the Russians gave us permission to leave. They even waved us goodbye and wished us luck. Then when we were crossing a field, they started firing at us from every direction," the boy's mother said, per BBC.
"I crawled through the field and saved my three-year-old son by dragging him by the hood of his jacket. The fact that any of us made it out alive was pure luck," she said. "I want the world to know about the crimes of Russia. I want every victim to be counted. I want Russia to be held accountable for the people, children and women, they have killed on our land," she said.
6-year-old Oleg was mortally wounded by shrapnel in front of his house.
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 15, 2022
He was buried by his mother Ekaterina the next day. pic.twitter.com/THzHb8YwAU
The United Nations believes almost 300 children have been killed during the war between Russia and Ukraine. According to the organization, about 277 children were killed and 456 injured during the war, although reports released by Ukraine suggest 313 children were killed.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a developing story, and we’ll update as we learn more. Information is swiftly changing and WomenWorking 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://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61146084
Representational Cover Image Source: Getty Images | RubberBall Productions
