Little Zlata’s hand was cold to the touch, but her mother, Nadiia, never wanted to let go. She knew that this would be the last time she would feel the palms of her daughter.
Nadiia and her husband, Viacheslav Rostochyl, made sure to bury their daughter with as many flowers, dolls and teddy bears as her coffin could hold.
The young woman, born in November 2019, was buried in the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odessa, southern Ukraine, on May 26, three days after her heart, pierced by a Russian missile fragment, stopped beating. .
Although he was unbearably young, he fought for his life for almost an entire month after the ballistic missile containing illegal cluster munitions fell on his hometown on April 29.
But her strength and determination brought little comfort to her family, who mourned deeply as she was buried in the Orthodox church.
Nadiia looked deeply into her daughter’s eyes, knowing they would never open again.
Little Zlata’s hand was cold to the touch, but her mother, Nadiia, never wanted to let go.
Although she was unbearably young, Zlata fought for her life for almost an entire month.
The young woman, born in November 2019, was buried in the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odessa, southern Ukraine.
In the Russian attack, Vladimir Putin’s forces destroyed a university building, the Odessa Academy of Law, resulting in the deaths of eight people, including Zlata.
More than 30 people were injured, including a pregnant woman and another child.
The residents of Odessa could only stand by and watch as the university building collapsed in on itself after being set alight by the missile, while local firefighters desperately tried to put out the fire.
Video footage from the time showed roiling smoke and flames licking the sky as they consumed the building.
A student at the academy who identified herself by her first name, Maria, said the fire broke out when the missile was intercepted.
‘In front of my eyes, a missile was shot down, this was right in front of me. My doors flew open and the glass shook. And then I saw this,” he told Reuters at the time.
During the Russian attack, Vladimir Putin’s forces destroyed a university building, the Odessa Law Academy.
Zlata’s heart was pierced by a fragment of a Russian missile
Zlata was born in November 2019.
Her mother and father (pictured) were seen mourning the loss of their daughter.
Relatives mourned the loss of little Zlata
“Right before this happened, we wanted to go down for a walk, but thank God we weren’t there when it happened.”
Odessa, home to a major Ukrainian port, has increasingly found itself in Russia’s crosshairs, with drone and missile attacks becoming more frequent as Russia uses increasingly dirty tactics to try to gain an advantage over Ukraine. .
And children in particular have been affected by Russian efforts to attack critical infrastructure.
As of last month, around 600 children were killed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, while more than 1,350 were injured, according to official UN data.
International organizations have accused Russia of deliberately targeting children in its invasion of Ukraine, and last year the International Criminal Court sought an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s children’s rights commissioner, for allegedly deporting and transferring Ukrainian children to Russia. illegally.
Children in particular have been affected by Russian efforts to attack critical infrastructure.
As of last month, around 600 children have been killed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
International organizations have accused Russia of deliberately targeting children in its invasion of Ukraine.
More than 1,350 children have been injured during the Russian invasion of Ukraine according to official UN data
Odessa, home to a major Ukrainian port, is increasingly in Russia’s sights.
Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky, who is leading the charge against Putin, is seeking more help from the West to fight the despot, and will host Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in Spain at noon today.
The Spanish royal family said in a statement that King Felipe VI will also receive the Ukrainian leader at the palace, which usually happens after seeing the prime minister on state visits.
“Afterwards, King Felipe and Queen Letizia will offer a lunch in their honor,” he added.
This is Zelensky’s first official visit to Spain since he came to power in 2019, and comes more than two years after the Russian invasion of his country.
The Ukrainian president was due to visit Spain in mid-May, according to the Spanish Palace, in addition to Portugal. But he postponed his trip because of the Russian offensive in northern Ukraine, according to media.
Sánchez told the Spanish parliament on Wednesday that the two countries are preparing to sign a bilateral cooperation agreement.
“We have made decisive progress in our bilateral relations with the Ukrainian government,” said the socialist leader.
“So much so that I can announce to you today that, as soon as the situation on the front allows, we will sign an agreement with Ukraine that will increase economic, social and institutional cooperation between our countries,” he added.