Ukrainian Mother Shields Baby From Russian Missile Strike in Kyiv, Gets Seriously Injured

A 27-year-old Ukrainian woman was seriously injured after acting as a shield to shelter her baby from shrapnel blasts in the capital city of Kyiv. Olga talked to Reuters about the incident, recalling her shock when she saw blood covering her young child after a Russian missile strike shattered glass all across their room.

Olga, who is getting treatment at the Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital, was emotional, saying, "I was wounded in the head, and blood started flowing. And it all flowed on the baby." Olga was confused when that happened, saying, "I couldn't understand; I thought it was her blood."

Pictures of Olga holding her baby Victoria, with her head heavily bandaged and her upper body draped in cuts, have gone viral on social media. People have been drawn to their photographs as it is in an image that perfectly encapsulates the heavy toll being paid by Ukrainian civilians in Russia's military invasion of their country.

Olga and Dmytro protected their daughter from a missile strike

Olga, who refused to share her family name, said she started screaming that her daughter had been cut as Victoria's father, Dmytro took the young girl. Olga recalled that Dmytro calmed her down, saying that her blood was on the baby and not Victoria's.

Olga said she had woken up to feed her six-week-old baby and had already covered her daughter with a blanket to keep her warm when the missile strike suddenly happened. Olga believed that it was what kept her baby alive, adding that she just got her covered in time. Olga also thanked the quick thinking of her partner, saying, "Dmytro jumped up and covered us too."

According to CBS News, Olga suffered multiple injuries and is being treated by doctors at the hospital for various cuts to the head and body. However, the good news for Olga and Dmytro is that their baby was basically unharmed from the blast, apart from some bruises and a scratch.

Read Also: U.K. Doctors Complete Mercy Mission to Bring Families of Ukraine Children With Cancer to Great Britain

Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians increasing

Despite the horrors that his family experienced, Dmytro continues to have a positive outlook on life. He said that there is nothing left for them to do but to stay positive and believe that it was the worst, the most horrible thing that could have happened in their lives.

It is hard to maintain that outlook with casualties rising in Kyiv. According to Ukrainian authorities, at least 60 civilians have been killed in the capital city since Russia launched its military invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Several of the victims were killed in missile strikes on residential buildings in Kyiv.

Just last week, a maternity hospital in the city of Mariupol was targeted with a missile strike by Russian troops. Russia's military then bombed an art school in that same city that was sheltering some 400 people. Local Ukrainian officials also confirmed that a theater in Mariupol was also bombed, with CNN reporting that around 1,300 people were believed to be inside the building during the missile strike.

Related Article: Ukrainian Family Tells Story of Surviving Russian Forces Fire at Checkpoint Near Kyiv