"I signed it with my hands trembling very much," the mom wrote in a post on social media.
Trigger Warning: This story talks about death that may be disturbing to readers.
With the Russian invasion still ongoing in Ukraine, people are taking drastic steps to protect their families, with some even writing on their kids' bodies in case they die during an attack but their child survives, according to PEOPLE.
Anastasiia Lapatina, a journalist with The Kyiv Independent, shared one such story from Ukrainian mom Sasha Makoviy. Makoviy had shared on social media how she took a photo of her young daughter wearing only a diaper with her contact information written across the girl's back in black marker.
Though the photo was shared only recently, on Instagram, Makoviy wrote in a caption with the photo that it had been taken on the first day of the war, in February.
"I signed it with my hands trembling very much," she wrote on Instagram, according to a translation, noting that she was " shaking for the first hours." In a follow-up post, Maskoviy wrote that she and her daughter, Vera, were now safe and out of the country: "I want to inform you that Vera and I are absolutely safe. We went abroad and are in the south of France. We were met by volunteers, provided with housing, and fully cared for."
Maskoviy then added then that she was grateful for those who helped them along the way.
"I want to thank the volunteers of France. And also to all the people who helped us evacuate and supported us," she wrote. "And I am especially grateful to Poland. What this country has done for Ukrainians is invaluable. Without their help, we would not have survived."
While Maskoviy and her precious daughter may have made it out of the country, the war still continues. So far, more than 3,000 civilians have been reported dead or wounded, including more than 100 children, the United Nations shared.
If this was not bad enough, Russian soldiers have also been accused of torturing, raping, and killing women and children, according to Ukrainian lawmaker Lesia Vasylenko, who recently shared updates of suspected war crimes reported across the country.
If this doesn't rip your heart out, you're not paying attention. Some of these babies survive next to the dead body of their moms. Traumatizes them for the rest of their shattered lives. This is close to impossible for adults to comprehend. Way too much. Changes lives forever.
— lizwonders (@lizwonders1) April 4, 2022
That includes allegations that soldiers have raped girls as young as age 10 and have even burned swastikas into the flesh of some of their victims. "Tortured body of a raped and killed woman. I'm speechless. My mind is paralyzed with anger and fear and hatred," Vasylenko, 35, wrote Sunday with a gruesome photo of one such body.
Meanwhile, Russian officials denied being responsible for any such atrocities, insisting they were faked.
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.
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Cover Image Source (Representative): Getty Images | Omar Marques / Stringer
