A Ukrainian firefighter was captured in tears over the lifeless body of his wife after responding to a “massive aerial bombardment” on his village on July 31.
The man, part of the Kharkiv Oblast State Emergency Service, had rushed to extinguish the flames when he realised his house in the Velikiy Burluk village, Kharkiv region, had also been affected.
The emergency service worker found his home reduced to rubble and, among the debris, he discovered his 37-year-old wife, who had been fatally injured.
Overcome with grief, the firefighter was spotted kneeling beside his wife’s body, saying a final, heartbreaking farewell.
The emotional moment shows the harsh realities of Vladimir Putin‘s ruthless and unlawful invasion, as the firefighter’s 10-year-old son was also injured in the attack and rushed to the hospital with severe burns, according to a statement shared on Telegram by the Ukrainian State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
The country’s emergency service described the incident as “the worst thing” for a firefighter to endure.
In a heartfelt statement, the agency expressed its condolences, saying: “We express our sincere condolences to our colleague, eternal memory to his wife and a speedy recovery to his son.”
The statement went on to claim the wife of the firefighter had been killed as “a result of the attack by Russian anti-aircraft guns”.
This incident is part of a broader and increasingly brutal campaign by Russian forces, which has seen thousands of Ukrainian children from occupied territories coerced into joining the Russian war effort.
Reports indicate that these children are being sent to camps where they are indoctrinated and taught to use weapons, a practice that Russian state media has disturbingly boasted about.
As the conflict drags on, the human cost continues to mount. According to UK estimates, around 550,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded.