To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to an online
browser that
supports HTML5
video
A translator within the European Parliament began weeping while recounting the story of an 11-year-old Ukrainian boy whose mum died in a Russian missile strike.
Roman Oleksiv was just seven when he and his mother went for a medical checkup at Vinnytsya, removed from the frontlines of the war, on July 14, 2022.
A Russian warship within the Black Sea fired three cruise missiles into the town, killing his mother, Halyna, and leaving him with burns across his body.
He suffered 45% internal and 35% external burns, broken arms, severed muscles and a number of other shrapnel wounds. His mum died immediately.
‘I saw her under the debris, and I could see her hair,’ Roman recalled. ‘I used to be capable of touch her hair, and I could say goodbye to her.’
Roman told his story after a screening on the European Parliament concerning the Ukrainian children injured in Russia’s bloody war.
While telling how Roman went on to check dancing and music after undergoing 36 operations and rehabilitation, the lady needed to pause and wipe away her tears.
Roman finished, saying: ‘I need to let you know that after we’re together, we’re strong and you may have to never, ever surrender.
‘We now have to proceed helping Ukrainian children.’
After being severely injured within the missile strike, Roman was transported to Lviv, Ukraine, then to Poland and Germany for further treatment.
After his years-long ordeal, the young boy is back dancing and attending music school – taking after his mum, who was an accordionist and teacher.
Roman told RFE: ‘Physically, you may have to place in effort on the accordion and you may have to think the identical way, because your right hand has to think what to play, and at the identical time you pull in order that there may be sound, in order that the air flows.’
The story of his tragedy and recovery prompted a movie about his life, which was shown to Pope Francis before his death.
1000’s of Ukrainian children have been killed and kidnapped for the reason that starting of Russia’s illegal war.
A minimum of 20,000 children were ripped away from their on a regular basis lives and brought to foreign countries where they’ve been tortured, denied food and any contact with their family members.
Russia has been accused of the most important state-sponsored kidnapping of kids in modern history, however the figure is feared to be much higher.
Maria Lvova-Belova, Russian commissioner for kids’s rights, even boasted that the state has ‘evacuated’ 300,000 Ukrainian kids from their bombed-out homes in 2023.
Putin’s forces went to date as to goal orphanages, meaning many children are facing brutal Russian indoctrination without anyone back home trying to find them.
Only 300 of the kidnapped children have been returned, and there are few signs this number will grow.
MORE: If the NHS is unsustainable, should the richest pay for it?
MORE: Zelensky hints there may very well be ‘an end to bloodshed’ in Ukraine this week
MORE: ‘It’s time to stop pandering to racist president plotting Europe’s demise’