A horrifying video showed a Ukrainian family, along with their two dogs, being mowed down by Russian troops as their son was heard crying, "Dad, please don't die, I'm begging you!" The distressing video was initially shared by Ukraine's armed forces on Monday. However, it was not clear who the men were.
The video filmed by the son showed the aftermath of Russian soldiers opening fire on the man in his Mercedes minivan along with his three dogs on February 25. According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the man was identified as Oleh Bulavenko, who returned to his home to rescue his pets.
The shooting took place while Oleh and his son evacuating from the town of Ivankiv near the capital, Kyiv along with their three dogs, the outlet reported. According to RFE, when they came under attack, the boy was heard shouting, "Get out and lie down." The dog was heard barking and whimpering in the background. Another surviving dog refused to leave Oleh's body.
'Dad! Are You Still There?'
The son somehow managed to take cover during the attack but his dad, along with one of their dogs were cut down. "Dad! Dad! Are you still there?" the boy shouted while running to a severely injured Oleh, who groaned and told him that his foot was torn off.
"Dad, please don't die, I'm begging you!" the son was heard saying in the soul-crushing video. Oleh was reported to have succumbed to his injuries later.
On the other hand, at least seven people were reported to have been killed in a Russian airstrike in a rural residential area in Kyiv on Friday, including two children. According to police, the strike hit the village of Markhalivka, around 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the southwestern outskirts of Kyiv.
'There are No Bad Intentions Towards our Neighbors'
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin asked the neighboring countries to not mount further tensions over the Ukrainian conflict. "There are no bad intentions towards our neighbors. And I would also advise them not to escalate the situation, not to introduce any restrictions," Putin said in a statement.
