Heart-wrenching photos show Ukrainians mourning loss of loved ones
Nicole Darrah
Heart-wrenching photographs show Ukrainians mourning the loss of their loved ones as Russia’s onslaught against the neighboring nation continues to kill civilians, including women and children.
A woman arrives to pray at Church of the Most Holy Apostles Peter and Paul as the Russian invasion rages on in Lviv, Ukraine, on March 18. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
In many of those bombardments, death follows. Locals have been holding funerals for civilians and fallen soldiers killed in Russia’s war. According to Guzy, the daughter of one soldier who was killed in an airstrike said the shock of the shelling was so strong that the soldiers’ bulletproof vests fell apart as they wore them.
In one photo taken by Guzy, a young child is seen holding what appears to be a Ukrainian flag as men with shovels bury a fallen soldier at a nearby cemetery.
A woman prays at the Church of the Most Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Lviv on March 18. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
In another chilling photograph, a woman is consoled as she breaks down in tears in front of a casket strewn with flower bouquets.
One moment captured by Guzy shows a heartbroken mother, Maria, emotionally embracing her son, who is seen in uniform lying in a casket at the Church of the Most Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Lviv.
A funeral service is held for Ivan Skrypnuk, who was killed in a Russian airstrike at a military base in Yavoriv, close to the Polish border, on March 17. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
Because of the widespread devastation, it’s unclear how many people have been killed so far in the war. NATO estimated this week that 7,000 to 15,000 Russian troops have been killed since Feb. 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his military to invade Ukraine.
Russia, which has denied that its invasion is a “war,” has claimed that its number of fatalities is far lower. The wreckage of Russian vehicles along Ukrainian roadways suggests the Kremlin’s military has suffered significant damage.
Ivan Skrypnuk is mourned by his mother, Luba, at Church of the Most Holy Apostles Peter and Paul on March 17. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
It’s unclear how many Ukrainian soldiers have died, but President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier this month that roughly 1,300 troops had been killed in what he called a “war of annihilation.”
According to the United Nations, more than 1,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed in the war, including dozens of children. But that estimate is conservative and based on confirmed deaths; the U.N. said the actual tally is likely to be “considerably higher.”
Soldiers at the funeral for Ivan Skrypnuk. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
The U.S. this week accused Russian forces of committing war crimes by attacking Ukrainian civilians. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the determination was made based on a “careful review of available information from public and intelligence sources.”
“We’ve seen numerous credible reports of indiscriminate attacks and attacks deliberately targeting civilians, as well as other atrocities,” Blinken said in a statement. “Russia’s forces have destroyed apartment buildings, schools, hospitals, critical infrastructure, civilian vehicles, shopping centers, and ambulances, leaving thousands of innocent civilians killed or wounded.”
A funeral is held for two fallen soldiers, Mykola Dmytrovych and Roman Fedorovich, at Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Starychi, Ukraine, on March 16. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
Last week, President Biden called Putin a “war criminal.” White House press secretary Jen Psaki followed up by telling reporters that Biden was “speaking from his heart and speaking from what he’s seen on television, which is barbaric actions by a brutal dictator through his invasion of a foreign country.”
In an address to NATO on Thursday, Zelensky again pleaded for help from Biden and European leaders, saying Ukraine was in a “gray zone” and was struggling to fight off Russian forces.
“A month of unpunished destruction of the peaceful state, and with it — the whole architecture of global security. All this is before the eyes of the whole world,” he said.
See more of Guzy’s images below.
The funeral of the soldiers Mykola Dmytrovych and Roman Fedorovich in Starychi on March 16. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
The church service for two fallen soldiers was followed by a procession through the town. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
Mourners make their way through town following the funeral for two soldiers who were killed in a Russian airstrike at a military base close to the Polish border. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
Residents of Lviv look on as a procession of mourners passes through town. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
A woman looks on as a procession of mourners makes its way through town. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
Mourners at a funeral for two fallen soldiers, Mykola Dmytrovych and Roman Fedorovich. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
The funeral service was followed by a procession through the town and the burial at a local cemetery. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
Ukrainian military personnel look on amid services for the two fallen soldiers. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
A family member grieves during a funeral for four fallen soldiers killed in a Russian airstrike at a military base in Yavoriv, close to the Polish border. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
A funeral on March 15 at Church of the Most Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Lviv for four fallen soldiers — Oleh Yaschyshyn, Sergiy Melnyk, Rostyslav Romanchuk and Kyrylo Vyshyvany — killed in a Russian airstrike. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
Mourners filled the Church of the Most Holy Apostles Peter and Paul for the funeral service held for four fallen soldiers. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
Military medals are presented during the funeral service for four soldiers killed in a Russian airstrike. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
Family members of fallen soldier Sergiy Melnyk weep during the funeral service. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
A Ukrainian soldier cries during the funeral for four fallen soldiers. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
Mourners weep at the funeral service as soldiers stand nearby. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
Fallen soldier Rostyslav Romanchuk is mourned by his wife, Olena, and his 8-year-old daughter, Viktoria. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
A row of coffins at Church of the Most Holy Apostles Peter and Paul during the funeral for three soldiers killed in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
A family grieves for their loved one during a funeral on March 11 for three soldiers killed by Russian forces. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
A mother embraces her son, Didykh Taras, who was killed in the war. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
Soldiers carry the body of a killed comrade into the Church of the Most Holy Apostles Peter and Paul on March 11. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
A funeral is held at Church of the Most Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Lviv on March 11 for three soldiers killed in the Russian invasion. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
Ukrainian soldiers fire a gun salute on March 11 in honor of their comrades who were killed defending their country. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
A Ukrainian soldier prays at Church of the Most Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Lviv. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
Tanya, seen here holding a patch from the uniform of her father, fallen soldier Oleh Yaschyshyn, said the shock wave from the Russian airstrike was so strong that soldiers’ bulletproof vests fell apart. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire) (ZUMAPRESS.com)
