The independent Kazakh publication "Respublika" released a series of reports devoted to the true history of the war in Ukraine. This view "from abroad" on the events seemed interesting to us, so "ElitExpert" decided to introduce it with these publications our readers.
This summer, a photo of a four-year-old girl who was killed by Russian missiles while walking with her mother right in the central square of Vinnytsia went viral around the world. This tragedy was written about everywhere - from the BBC to The New York Times, and it became one of the vivid symbols of Russia's crimes in Ukraine.
However, this story is not known in the Russian Federation itself, nor in many post-Soviet countries. And there is no reason to be surprised here, because for eight months of the war, Russian propagandists have been convincing their citizens that the Russian army strikes only with "high-precision weapons", and tens of thousands of dead Ukrainians are fakes or actors portraying corpses.
500 km from the front line
During the full-scale war, Vinnytsia was almost unscathed - in the spring the airport was hit by several strikes, but in general the city lived a completely peaceful life. The front line is more than 500 kilometers away, and even the residents did not respond to air warning signals for a long time. Moreover, many refugees fleeing the fighting in the east and south of the country moved to Vinnytsia due to safety.
However, at 11 o'clock in the morning on July 14, it became clear that there is no safe city in Ukraine, no matter how far it is from the front line.
The Russian Air Force struck the central part of the city, Victory Square, filled with people with three Kalibr cruise missiles. As a result of large-scale "arrivals", about 200 people were injured, and 27 people died (including twelve women and three minor children).
The large number of victims is explained by the fact that in the office center located on the square, the former Soviet "House of Life", there were offices, a medical clinic, a cafe, a tailoring studio and children's clubs.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, called the attack a war crime and once again called to recognize Russia as a terrorist country.
In turn, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation recognized the mission of the strike, cynically declaring "hitting a military target." The Ministry of Defense named the Officers' House located next to the square as the target, which was hit by only one of the rockets. Others killed bystanders, as well as doctors and patients at the medical center.
Meanwhile, the Officers' Building has long been used as a center of creativity and a palace of culture - in particular, the Ukrainian pop singer Roxolana was to perform in the building's concert hall that evening. Several members of her team, who were adjusting the musical equipment for the concert, were seriously injured, and the sound engineer died.
The girl died just in the stroller
And yet, among the victims and victims of the rocket attack on the square, the young mother Iryna Dmytrieva and her daughter Lisa received the most fame. As a result of the terrorist attack, the girl died right in the pram.
Iryna was a local blogger: she filmed videos and talked about the development and life of her special daughter, who was diagnosed with Down syndrome.
The girl described the history of her family in detail in the blog, said that she and her husband learned that they might have a child with health problems as early as the 13th week of pregnancy. At the same time, many doctors persuaded the couple to have an abortion because of the predicted pathologies, but the future parents did not agree and decided to give birth.
"I used to think (as everyone probably does) that special children are born only to alcoholics and drug addicts. This was imposed by society," Iryna wrote in one of her posts on Instagram. — I gave birth at the age of 29, prepared carefully with my husband, planned the pregnancy, counted the days, took vitamins, did not smoke (I do not smoke at all), did not drink alcohol.
After the birth of Liza, it was unclear to everyone - doctors, us, and relatives, why this happened? I even went to various healers, numerologists, astrologers, psychics... I bypassed many specialists and various geneticists.
Later I got my answer in my soul. It became easier, let go. I closed this issue forever. And I don't think anymore, but what would have happened if not for the diagnosis? I'm already confidently moving forward."
On Irina's page on Instagram, you could see many happy photos together, and in the description of the profile the phrase - "I am the mother of an angel."
"Lisa took the most beautiful thing from the two of us, because she was born in love and was the most desired child. From the 14th week of pregnancy, when the malformation was diagnosed, we loved her so much and believed in a miracle. And they promised that she will have the happiest life! And we will never, never leave her! And how else? There is no other option for me," Iryna wrote shortly before the tragedy.
Exactly one and a half hours before the shelling, the girl filmed and published on her page a video of their joint walk with her daughter. Lisa was rolling the stroller, and her mother asked her: "Bunny, where are we going now?".
The video was just gaining views, and the girl had already died.
On that fateful day, Lisa, who had problems with pronunciation, was on another session with a speech therapist. Returning from the teacher, mother and daughter were approaching the pedestrian crossing on Victory Square when explosions rang out.
Lisa died instantly, Iryna was seriously injured.
The first lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, published a terrible photo of the dead girl, who died right in her cart, in a few hours. This picture shocked the world.
Note that this is still an admissible photograph of the dead girl. Photos taken from a different angle are even scarier — a severed leg next to the stroller is also included in the footage.
"Such photos on social networks are usually marked with a warning as potentially unacceptable content. Instagram will hide it from you as “traumatic”, as if grief and crime can be undone by simply hiding it…
Russian rocket. Today. Vinnytsia, rear. Two dozen dead in the very center of the city — in an office building, in a medical center, in a parking lot... Three children are among them. Russia is a terrorist state.
World, you have to see and realize this," the first lady wrote emotionally.
The previous information that the girl's mother also died, fortunately, was not confirmed - although Iryna suffered serious injuries, she remained alive after being admitted to the intensive care unit. Doctors fought for her life for several weeks, managing to save her.
Only recently, after leaving the hospital, the girl found the strength to address thousands of people who support her:
"I am an ordinary person, a mother who lived, worked, loved her child (and still do). We had plans, months planned in advance: classes, work, trips.
What she dreamed of most now was for Lizunya to speak, and then further realization in life. She had tremendous success. The day of July 14 divided life into before and after. I did not want such "fame". I would give everything in my life to have Lisa in my arms and we could continue to live our wonderful lives! But fate has other plans... Unfortunately, her photos flew around the world even after her death, touched thousands of hearts. My little girl has become yours too.
There are thousands like me. How many lost lives, destroyed families, pain and tears. Our cities have turned into ruins. The enemy fires rockets at maternity hospitals, residential buildings, schools, theaters, shops... The targeted killing of the Ukrainian people is underway. The world must see and know the killers, and get rid of them like a dirty stain on our planet.
My Lisa wanted to live, she had a wonderful life of love and support. But my only beloved child was killed by missiles fired on the orders of Russia. They took from me the most precious thing in life, and crippled the lives of everyone who loved him. Now we are all alike - suffering at the hands of enemies - morally or physically. And we want one thing - the fastest possible victory of our country. Power is in love. To the child, the family and our Ukraine," Iryna wrote.
