After three days, when a deadly attack was carried out in a small village in Ukraine, the authorities disclosed the body of one Ulyana Kulyk was found under the rubble by the rescuers who had been on the site since the attack took place.
It was noted that the victim was just three months old when the attack was carried out in their home in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on Monday morning. The authorities have disclosed that the father of the three-month-old was the sole survivor of the incident, which claimed many lives.
The officials in Ukraine have disclosed that the attack which was carried that claimed the life of the newborn was from a series of attacks that were carried out by the Russian forces in the Kryvyi Rih, which had targeted residential buildings. It was noted that the attacks have lasted for more than a week in the area, with many of them deadly. The city lies some 70 kilometres 40 miles from the southern Ukrainian front line.
Why speaking on the incident, the UN children’s agency UNICEF has stated that cases which are related to that of Ulyana and her family have become what is experienced in Ukraine on a daily basis as the attacks that are being carried out in major cities and populated areas have continued.
UNICEF noted that in the first 12 days of November, several attacks were carried out by the Russian forces on areas in Ukraine, which have claimed no fewer than four children while more than Twenty others have been injured from the attacks.
Some of the photographs and Videos that have circulated through social media have shown a little of the destruction that has taken place in the area. The pictures show the incredible force with which the ballistic missile struck their apartment block. The five-story building looks as if it was sliced in half, with a huge chunk of it missing in the middle.
The local media reported that Ulyana’s mother, Olena, 32, and brothers Kyrylo, 10, and Demyd, 2, were all killed in the strike. It was disclosed that the father, the only person surviving the incident, was said to have survived because he was reportedly in the kitchen making breakfast for the family.
While speaking during the joint funeral, Maksym Kulyk noted that there was no need to live as he stated he was supposed to be with the family who were ready to be buried on Thursday.
The funeral was a heart-wrenching experience. Four coffins of the same design and varying sizes were showered with flowers and toys, and dozens of family and friends, including many children, came to say goodbye to the family.
When the husband and father spoke at the funeral, speaking for his wife and children, another airstrike was heard in the city, which was a sign to the people who were attending the funeral that the conflict was far from being over.
It was disclosed that Olena was an employee of Steel Service, a subsidiary of global giant ArcelorMittal, and was on maternity leave at the time of the attack.
Speaking on the wife’s life, Kulyk stated that his wife was his soul, blood, heart, support and strength, and rear. Speaking further, he stated that he love her so much and will always do.
Kyrylo, the oldest of the three children, was described by his father as his best friend and by school staff as a bright light for everyone who knew him.
The 103rd School in Kryvyi Rih said in a Facebook statement that the first child stated he was only 10 years old, but his short life was full of joy, dreams and boundless love. His smile, carefree laugh and inexhaustible energy brought joy to his family and friends, classmates, teachers and everyone around him. They further stated that the fourth grader loved reading books, exploring the world and playing football.
Speaking about the daughter, the father said, Demyd, I bathed you, slept with you, fed you, and went for walks with you. You always said daddy Kulyk said, adding that he looked forward to Ulyana becoming a daddy’s girl.
Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s ombudsman, pointed out that all of the children had been born since the conflict with Russia started in eastern Ukraine in 2014.
Speaking through a statement that was released, he stated that the two-month-old girl and boys aged two and ten as children were born during the war. The 10-year-old boy was born when Russia started its armed aggression against Ukraine. The two-year-old was born when Russia launched a full-scale invasion. The girl was born only recently.
To commemorate the incident that claimed almost an entire family, the local authorities in Kryvyi Rih declared Wednesday an official day of mourning.
The city has seen several ballistic missile strikes in recent weeks. Two, each killing two people and damaging more than a dozen, smashed Kryvyi Rih within one week earlier this month. In September, at least ten people, including a 12-year-old child, were killed in three separate missile strikes.
According to Ukrainian and US officials, the regular surges of aerial raids come as Ukraine struggles to repel Russian passages in eastern Ukraine. At the same time, Russia seems to be preparing for a counterstrike in its southern Kursk region, deploying tens of thousands of battalions into the area.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed on Sunday that in just one week, Russia sank more than 900 bombs and threw some 30 missiles and nearly 500 drones across Ukraine. He declared that most strikes were directed against civilian entities and critical infrastructure.
Zelensky and his wife, Olena Zelenska, are from Kryvyi Rih, about 70 kilometres 40 miles from the southern Ukrainian front line.
When the news of the three children killed in the city emerged on Tuesday, Zelenska delivered commendations to the victims and made yet another emotional plea to Ukraine’s allies.
She stated that her only dream is that such a tragedy will never happen again. But the murders cannot be stopped by words. She further stated that she wants everyone who can help us stop the enemy and the grief (the enemy) brings to Ukraine to hear her. She further pleaded that they should not find reasons to postpone their help as the children must live.
Ukraine marked 1,000 days since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022 on Tuesday, with many inside the country and elsewhere worried about the impact of former President Donald Trump’s second term in office on the conflict. Trump has previously said he would end the conflict in 24 hours without revealing any details as to how.
