A shifting scene unfolded within the European Parliament in Brussels when an interpreter broke down mid-sentence whereas translating the testimony of an 11-year-old Ukrainian boy who survived a Russian missile strike on a youngsters’s hospital in Vinnytsia in 2022.
The assault killed 28 individuals, together with Roman Oleksiv’s mom, Halyna, who had introduced him in for a routine medical appointment. Roman spent greater than 100 days in intensive care and has since endured 36 surgical procedures to deal with burns protecting practically half his physique.
As Roman recounted the day that modified his life, the interpreter who was translating his phrases into English struggled to proceed. When the boy reached the second he final noticed his mom – “It was the final time I noticed my mother,” her voice broke, and she or he started to cry.
11-year-old Roman Oleksiv, who survived the Russian missile assault on Vinnytsia, spoke on the European Parliament throughout a documentary screening about Ukrainian youngsters. He shared the story of shedding his mom within the assault. The boy survived extreme burns by 36 surgical procedures… pic.twitter.com/BsVdyjwaPv
— MFA of Ukraine 🇺🇦 (@MFA_Ukraine) December 11, 2025
A colleague stepped in to complete the interpretation as individuals within the room remained silent.
Roman, an aspiring ballroom dancer and the topic of an award-winning movie, has been recognised in Ukraine for his resilience. President Volodymyr Zelensky offered him with a state award earlier this 12 months, highlighting the braveness of youngsters enduring the battle’s brutality.
Diplomats and lawmakers listened as his story reduce by political language, exhibiting the true toll of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Ukraine’s Prosecutor Basic reported that at the least 676 youngsters have been killed for the reason that invasion started in February 2022. Little one welfare companies estimate that almost 2,000 youngsters have misplaced parental care as a consequence of war-related deaths or disappearances. Ukrainian officers additionally imagine that greater than 19,500 youngsters have been kidnapped and deported by Russian forces for the reason that begin of the battle.
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