The wife of Ukraine’s president begged international media in an emotional plea Sunday to share the “terrible truth” of how Russian forces are brutally murdering children.
“I appeal to all the unbiased media in the world! Tell this terrible truth: Russian invaders are killing Ukrainian children,” First Lady Olena Zelenska posted on Instagram below photos of five children killed by Russian attacks.
“Tell it to Russian mothers — let them know what exactly their sons are doing here, in Ukraine,” the photo caption read. “Show these photos to Russian women — your husbands, brothers, compatriots are killing Ukrainian children! Let them know that they are personally responsible for the death of every Ukrainian child because they gave their tacit consent to these crimes.”
At least 38 children have died in the conflict so far, according to official estimates.
“This figure might be increasing this very moment due to the shelling of our peaceful cities!” Zelenska captioned continued. “When people in Russia say that their troops are not hurting the civilian population, show them these pictures! Show them the faces of these children who weren’t even given a chance to grow up. How many more children must die to convince Russian troops to stop firing and allow humanitarian corridors?”
The five children featured in the Instagram post ranged in age from 18 months to 14 years old, she said.
The 18 month-old, Kirill Yatsko, was photographed by the Associated Press as his parents frantically carried the toddler into a hospital in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol.
