In Ukraine many mourners bury family members non-stop, Russians continue to ruthlessly civilian populations | Four-year-old girl killed by Russian missile, her funeral broadcast and published on international channels | During a visit to the front over the weekend, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu instructed forces to “further increase unit operations in all operational areas”
Mourners in central Ukraine buried a four-year-old girl killed by Russian missiles in the city of Vinnytsia last week, when officials and analysts warned that Moscow’s cessation of operations in the last few days that came to an end only signifies further death and pain as Russia prepares for further attacks.
The killing of Lisa Dmitriev, who suffered from Down Syndrome while in a stroller, has been reported around the world, becoming a symbol of the heavy civilian cost of the Russian invasion.
Wearing a crown of white flowers, Lisa was buried on Sunday when her family burst into tears at the funeral along with hundreds of escorts. Lisa’s grandmother, Larissa Dmitrieva, paid tribute to her as she lay in a coffin. “Look, my flower, look how many people have come to you,” Larissa said. Lisa’s father, Artem Dmitriev, stood still, tears streaming down his face.
The funeral took place yesterday when the girl’s seriously injured mother, Irina, tried to speak to a local TV channel after regaining consciousness. She was lying in a hospital bed, when a video of her daughter was seen on her phone, she told reporters: “Never mind, see what happens but it does not protect us. How many times have we asked to close the sky? And the world is just looking at how Ukraine is murdered. Our children are murdered, “Our soldiers and our people have protected us from this tyrant,” she said, referring to Vladimir Putin, “because after us he will go further and destroy everything.”
In addition to the girl, dozens of other people were killed in the attack, and one person is still missing, while missiles continue to fall in eastern Ukraine, Putin has no mercy on Ukrainian citizens, and fires indiscriminate missiles.
When Lisa was buried, Russian rockets and missiles continued to hit Ukrainian towns and cities amid warnings that a new Moscow offensive could target the area around northeastern Kharkiv, from which Russian forces had partially withdrawn – as well as the eastern Donetsk region, which was seen as the Kremlin’s main focus.
During a visit to the front over the weekend, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu instructed forces to “further increase unit operations in all operational areas.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zalansky has urged his people not to fall for Russia’s attempts to intimidate them with warnings of horrific missile attacks to come, which he said were intended to divide Ukrainian society. “Obviously no Russian missile or artillery will be able to break our unity or lead us far from our path towards a democratic and independent Ukraine,” he said, “and it is also clear that Ukrainian unity cannot be broken by lies or intimidation, forgery or conspiracy theories.”
Ukrainian officials have reported an increase in Russian air strikes, including missiles fired from heavy bombers over the Caspian Sea. “It is not just missile hits from the air and sea,” said Vadim Skivitsky, a spokesman for Ukrainian military intelligence. “We can see shelling along the entire line of contact, along the entire front line. There is active use of tactical aviation and attack helicopters. It is clear that preparations are now underway for the next phase of the attack.”