Tetiana’s raw and devastating story of loss reveals the pain behind Ukraine’s war statistics
In a country like Ukraine, where entire cities are being bludgeoned to the ground, the human ramifications are so vast that they often overwhelm the ability of journalists to describe them.
Instead, we rely on numbers – numbers, for example, from the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine which reports that 10,582 civilians have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale attack.
We quote statistics from the Office of the President of Ukraine, which says 529 children have died as a result of the fighting since February 2022.
It was in the city of Kharkiv, however, that I was confronted by the consequences of this conflict in a way that was so raw and devastating that the meaning buried within these numbers was painfully revealed.
On 10 February, the Russians targeted a large fuel depot in the city, using three of their Iran-made Shahed drones.
A fire erupted after the drone strike on 10 February. Pic: Reuters
Their assault was successful – spectacularly so, with smoke and flames from the ruptured tanks billowing miles above the city. A million gallons of diesel and petrol poured into the surrounding streets, flowing like lava into a nearby residential neighbourhood.
The heat was so intense that firefighters struggled to approach the blaze. Some 4,000 square metres were incinerated, along with 15 homes in the city’s Nemyshlyansky district.
When we first saw Tetiana Putiatina, she was standing outside the charred remains of 32 Kotelnia Street. She used to live here with her only son Hryhory and his family of five.
Tetiana Putiatina lost her son, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren when a Russian drone strike hit Kharkiv last month
When I approached, I could tell that the 61-year-old had been crying.
“The children were asleep, there were three of them – seven years old, four years old and 10 months old. They just didn’t have time to get out, to gather the children,” she whispered.
Tetiana was visiting a relative on the night of the attack, leaving the rest of the family at home.
“By nine in the morning, I’d already returned, when they were recovering the bodies. They didn’t show them to me. They were so badly burned.”
Her son Hryhory was a builder and his wife Olna worked at the local prosecutor’s office. She told me the pair had spent much of the past two years trying to keep their three boys safe.
Their oldest child was Oleksii with Mykhaylo in the middle. Pavlo – or Pasha, as they called him – was the baby.
Their parents had taken them to western Ukraine at the beginning of the war when the Russian troops tried to break into Kharkiv but they had returned to the city after several months.
Tetiana said the family would rush to their underground shelter in the garden when the sound of the bombing got close.
On the night of 10 February, however, they had no time to escape, no chance to avoid a river of fire that was racing their way.
Hryhory, Olna and their three children died in the drone assault
“They found my son here, this is where he lay,” said Tetiana, pointing to a spot on the floor in what remains of the corridor.
“It looks like he was looking for a way out. Here in the bathroom, that’s where Olna was, holding two of the children close to her chest. The middle boy (Mykhaylo) ran out to the kitchen. Probably, he was trying to reach his dad.”
Their funeral was held three days later and in a recording of the event, we see surviving family members trying to grapple with the catastrophe. The baby, Pasha, was buried with his mother and we see Tetiana wrapping her arms around their coffin as she sobs.
When these images were posted online, Tetiana was mocked by some who accused her of pretending to be upset. They were Russians seeking to deepen her wounds, she said.
All three children were killed in the attack
“When we were mourning at the cemetery, I held the coffin. There were comments, like, ‘what an actress’ and ‘she plays her role well’.”
She began to cry. “They say they are liberating us. Who are they liberating?
“I was born in the Belgorod region (of Russia) myself. Do they liberate me?
“And my in-laws, my parents-in-law, were all from Russia. We were all Russian-speaking.”
The fuel depot was still smoking when we visited the site and the roads surrounding it were thick with a black sticky residue. We saw workers trying to patch up the heating and water pipes – but there are things in Kharkiv that will never be repaired.
A security guard who works next to what is left of the fuel depot told us it was like looking at a picture of hell.
“You know, the stench will linger for years – that smell is going to stay and it has affected the atmosphere here because there were huge clouds of smoke. It was terrible.”
Tetiana was visiting a relative when the attack happened
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The consequences of this attack will strike many as a depressing feature of Ukraine’s daily existence, another number in an endlessly rising statistical column. But there is nothing normal about this for Tetiana Putiatina.
The destruction of her house and the death of her loved ones have left her with nothing to live for.
“Of course, it’s hard. I come here every day, sometimes multiple times a day.
“I’ll come here, walk around the house, where they found their bodies.
“I’ll shout, I’ll cry, and then I’ll leave.”
Donald Trump has claimed a deal to end Russia’s war on Ukraine is “very close” as he heaped pressure on Volodymyr Zelenskyy to “get it done”.
Hours after US secretary of state Marco Rubio withdrew from high-level talks in London on ending the conflict, the American president appeared to vent frustration about Mr Zelenskyy on his Truth Social platform.
“We are very close to a deal, but the man with ‘no cards to play’ should now, finally, GET IT DONE,” Mr Trump said.
“I look forward to being able to help Ukraine, and Russia, get out of this complete and total MESS, that would have never started if I were president!”
Ukraine war latest: ‘We are very close to deal’, Trump claims
Mr Trump also criticised Mr Zelenskyy for telling the Wall Street Journal that Ukraine would not accept giving up Crimea as part of a peace deal with Russia.
And he accused the Ukrainian president of harming peace negotiations with “inflammatory statements”.
Reports say that the US president’s seven-point peace plan to end the war includes a proposal that America would formally recognise Russian sovereignty over Crimea – which was annexed in 2014 and which Ukraine maintains is its territory.
“It’s inflammatory statements like Zelenskyy’s that makes it so difficult to settle this war,” Mr Trump added. “He has nothing to boast about!
“The situation for Ukraine is dire – He can have peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole country.”
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Speaking later at the White House on Wednesday, Mr Trump said: “I think we have a deal with Russia. We have to get a deal with Zelenskyy.
“I thought Zelenskyy would be easier to deal with, but so far it’s harder. I think we have a deal with both.”
Asked if he was planning to meet Mr Putin soon in Saudi Arabia, he said “probably not, but I hope to meet with him soon thereafter”.
The peace plan, reported by US media over the weekend, would freeze the frontlines in Ukraine as part of the agreement.
London talks on ending war downgraded
It comes after Mr Rubio withdrew from a planned meeting in London on Wednesday, which the UK’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Defence Secretary John Healey did attend.
Donald Trump has said Volodymyr Zelenskyy must ‘get it done’ and agree a peace deal. Pics: AP
The downgraded talks were also attended by Keith Kellogg, the US envoy for Ukraine, along with other officials from France, Germany and Ukraine.
Mr Rubio said last week that the US may “walk away” from negotiations due to a lack of progress with Russia and Ukraine – a warning now repeated by vice president JD Vance.
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JD Vance on Ukraine peace deal
The UK Foreign Office said in a statement that there had been significant progress at the talks on Wednesday, and added: “All parties reiterated their strong support for President Trump’s commitment to stopping the killing and achieving a just and lasting peace.”
Read more:
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‘Emotions have run high’ – Zelenskyy
On Wednesday evening, the Ukrainian president said “emotions have run high today” but stressed all sides “expressed their views and respectfully received each other’s positions” during the London talks.
Mr Zelenskyy said on social media: “The American side shared its vision. Ukraine and other Europeans presented their inputs.
“And we hope that it is exactly such joint work that will lead to lasting peace.”
He also said, however, that “Ukraine will always act in accordance with its constitution,”.
And he posted a screenshot of the Crimea Declaration – which says the US refuses to recognise Russia’s claim to Crimea – made by former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo in 2018, during Mr Trump’s first term as president.
It also comes after Ukrainian officials said nine people were killed and almost 50 injured in the city of Marhanets after a Russian drone hit a bus carrying workers on Wednesday morning.
Russia also launched “a massive” drone attack on the central Ukrainian region of Poltava, injuring at least six people, the emergency service said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.
How to describe the moment when you see the open coffin of Pope Francis?
How to sum up an experience that was shared with many, but which felt so intimate? Fortunate, memorable, touching, and emotional. Above all, unique.
Well, let’s start at the beginning.
People queuing to see the open coffin of Pope Francis use their phones to take pictures. Pic: AP
We, along with other members of the global media, were invited into the basilica by the Vatican in order to see the lines of people filing past the coffin; to bear witness to the emotions, the sounds. To this demonstration of faith.
As we start to walk over, we know we are the lucky ones.
The queue to get into the basilica stretches into the distance – there are people waiting eight hours for the chance to see the coffin.
By contrast, we are ushered in through a side door. We round a corner, walking against a tide of people, until we enter the huge, soaring chamber in which the Pope’s coffin lies in state.
A beam of sunshine is lighting up an imposing statue, created by the genius of Bernini and now looking down upon the Pope.
I can see Francis’s hands crossed on his chest. His coffin is large, resting on the floor, but it is not ostentatious. You can see the red cloth of his vestments.
Pic: Reuters
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3D map shows pope’s funeral route
It is one thing to be told that the Pope has died, but quite another to witness the proof. Perhaps that is why so many are queuing for this moment – to bring closure, as much as to offer thanks.
Setting glistens with gold
The setting is extraordinary.
St Peter’s Basilica is a simply astonishing building that glistens with gold and whose domed ceiling rises to the sky.
Francis wanted to eschew the extravagance of previous papal funerals, but there is no avoiding the splendour of his surroundings.
By his coffin, soaring up, is the huge canopy known as St Peter’s Baldachin, which covers the altar.
Beneath it, so Christians believe, is the tomb of St Peter. This is one of the holiest places in Christianity, and the Pope lies alongside it.
Around his coffin are four soldiers from the Swiss Guard, dressed in their familiar red, blue, and yellow uniforms.
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The ‘Papal Interregnum’ explained
The hand of the deceased Pope Francis. Pic: AP
No sense of rush
A rope runs around the coffin, marking off the area. There are a few seats on one side for notable dignitaries to use when paying their respects. On the other side is a space for senior members of the Catholic church to pray and give thanks.
As we watch, there are two cardinals using this space, including the Italian Matteo Zuppi, a contender to be the next pope. I can see his mouth moving in prayer, his head bowed.
The chamber is thronged with people, but there is no sense of rush.
The queue of people runs round the edge of half the room, but it is orderly, shuffling ever forward. And there is such a blend of people – nuns and priests, but also families dressed for a day in the sun, teenagers in football shirts, grandparents in their finery. Some come in black, others in suits, some in scruffy old T-shirts.
I see three nuns come past, followed by a young woman in jeans and a T-shirt. The nuns are smiling; the woman is sobbing. We learn it’s impossible to predict who will be affected most.
Nuns from Spain and South America wait to see the body of Pope Francis. Pic: AP
You do not get to linger long at the front – maybe a few seconds – but it is an opportunity that divides.
Phones are a constant sight
Some make a cross; some offer a prayer; some take a selfie. Mobile phones are a constant sight. At any given moment, I can see dozens of them held in the air, capturing photos of the scene.
It’s hard to say whether these phones damage the mood, bruising the sombre sense of intimacy, or whether they add to the idea that this is as much about celebrating life as it is about bemoaning death. Maybe both can be true.
It is an emotional experience, whether you have faith or not. What is remarkable here is not the sight of Pope Francis’s coffin, not the hands arranged on his chest, nor the ceremony around St Peter’s.
Read more:
Inside Vatican City at moment of high tension
Who will be at the Pope’s funeral – and who won’t be
What is extraordinary – and what will live with me – is that so many people are prepared to queue for hour after hour in the beating sun to quietly offer thanks to a man that hardly any of them had ever met, but many felt they knew.
Like the Queen before, what really matters is not the scene that people will see, but rather the fact that they are so desperate to come.
World
Israeli troops shot at Gaza aid workers from ‘point-blank range’, leaked documents reportedly show
New details from the Israeli military’s investigation into the killings of 15 aid workers in Gaza on 23 March directly contradict the IDF’s official narrative.
Among the findings reported by Israeli newspaper Haaretz is the revelation that materials gathered by the IDF show soldiers fired at the aid workers from “point-blank” range during the attack.
The IDF has said there was “no shooting from close distance” during the attack, but Sky News previously revealed that some shots were fired from as close as 12 metres away from one of the medics.
The revelations by Haaretz – contained in IDF documents leaked to the publication – come just days after Sky News released its investigation into the killings, which found major gaps and inconsistencies in the IDF’s version of events.
On Sunday, two days after Sky News’ investigation was published, the IDF put out a summary of the findings from its official investigation into the 23 March killing of 15 aid workers.
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How two hours of terror unfolded
The new statement backtracked on several key claims which Sky News had proven false, including that the vehicles lacked necessary travel permissions and that they were crushed accidentally while being removed from the road.
The report by Haaretz now calls into question central aspects of the IDF’s latest official version of events.
The new revelations contradict the IDF’s account
Among the new findings by Haaretz is that the medical rescue convoy was judged to be Hamas based on an interview with one Palestinian medic that was conducted by a soldier who did not speak Arabic.
The IDF has said that it was on the basis of this interview, in which the survivor reportedly falsely confessed to being a Hamas member, that the soldiers were on high alert when a rescue convoy subsequently arrived at the scene.
The Israeli military told Sky News on 22 April that the interview was conducted by an “Arabic-speaking person from the team”.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Haaretz also reports that the rescue convoy was driving “slowly” as it approached the scene, contradicting previous IDF claims that the convoy approached “rapidly”.
This backs up Sky News’ analysis of a video shot from one of the convoy’s ambulances, which shows it was moving at around 25 miles per hour in the moments before it arrived.
IDF investigators ‘not convinced’ by soldier’s testimony
The new documents allegedly show that the IDF investigators were “not convinced” by the deputy commander’s claims that he misidentified the rescue convoy as Hamas.
“A scenario in which Hamas operatives travel in marked rescue vehicles to a location where they know IDF troops are present is one that the army had not encountered during the fighting in Gaza,” Haaretz reports.
“As such, neither the investigation team nor the brigade command accepted the deputy battalion commander’s version.”
The IDF previously told Sky News that the commander said he was unable to see the lights on the fire truck because of his night-vision goggles, and said that investigators found this claim to be “arguable”.
The documents viewed by Haaretz also reportedly show that the IDF found the troops, when charging towards the convoy, moved in an undisciplined fashion.
This contradicts previous statements by the IDF that the troops moved in a standard military formation for addressing hostile threats.
Haaretz also reports that the soldiers “kept shooting even after it was clear that no return fire was coming from the other side – and despite the cries of the aid workers who tried to identify themselves”.
Burying the vehicles
Among the other revelations in the Haaretz report is that soldiers were ordered to crush the medics’ vehicles by their brigade commander.
The IDF had previously claimed that the vehicles were crushed by accident while being removed from the road, a claim that Sky News previously proved to be false.
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Sky investigates full timeline of IDF’s attack on Gaza aid workers
In its statement on Sunday, the IDF admitted that there was a “decision” to crush the vehicles, but did not explain the reasons behind this decision.
“Why did they have to squish them, we don’t know,” a spokesperson told Sky News.
Haaretz reports that the vehicles were crushed to prevent attention being drawn to the IDF’s presence in the area, in anticipation of a planned ambush.
When contacted for comment, the IDF did not address any of the information contained in the new Haaretz report or Sky News’ specific questions.
The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.
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