In October, 8-year-old Bohdan lost both his parents, who were killed by an enemy shell on the street. The boy’s mother was seven months pregnant at the time. The parents died while going to the funeral of their relative, who had also been killed by Russia. At night, after learning about the death of his parents, Bohdan rode his bicycle to the scene.
The interview with the boy was exclusively provided to ‘Bukvy’ by the educational and psychological camp Gen.Camp.
In October 2022, 8-year-old Bohdan from the city of Bakhmut lost both his parents and an unborn brother or sister. The boy remembers his hometown with warmth: he says that it was the best in Ukraine, he told about how he went fishing with a homemade fishing rod and played on the playground.
On October 29, Bohdan became an orphan in Bakhmut, which at that time had already become one of the hottest spots of the Russian-Ukrainian war. His parents were going to the funeral of a relative, who had died earlier from a Russian shell, when they were killed.
‘I didn’t believe it. I didn’t even believe it,’ Bohdan commented on his emotions at the news of the death of his parents.
At that time, Bohdan’s mother was seven months pregnant. The boy does not know who was to be born, a brother or a sister.
The bodies of the parents were on the street for several days as it was impossible to take them away due to heavy shelling. After learning about the death of his mother and father, Bohdan rode his bicycle to the scene of the tragedy:
‘I waited for the night, took the bike and went. And when I came to a small bridge, I saw them… I fell’
The next day Bohdan was evacuated from Bakhmut.
Bohdan still has nightmares after the experience. In the future, he wants to become a soldier and defend Ukraine, but now he is trying to cope with his tragedy. By his bed, he hung a painted shield, which protects him from terrible dreams and anxieties.
Bohdan has only one dream: for his mother to be alive.
Bohdan is one of the participants of the educational and psychological camp Gen.Camp. It works for children who suffered from Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine, became orphans or semi-orphans.
To get help and become a participant of the camp, one needs to fill out the form on the website https://genukrainian.com.ua and go through an interview with the project coordinator.
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