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Adulthood denied: heartbreaking stories of children robbed of their future by Russia
“I was buried in a yard of our dacha.”
Ivan Ivanov, 15 years old
Kiev Oblast (near the village of Myrotsky)
04.03.2022
Hi! I'm Ivan, a 15-year-old from Kyiv Oblast. Regrettably, I lost my life in early March during a desperate attempt by my mother Iryna to evacuate me and my younger sister Dasha from our occupied village. It was a harrowing moment as bullets rained down on our car, and amidst the chaos, Dasha huddled on the floor. Those were the final moments of my existence. When we eventually left the car to continue our journey on foot, I discovered that one of the enemy bullets had pierced my heart. The pain was unbearable, and I felt as though my left arm had been torn away, losing control of it completely. Despite my best efforts to keep up with my family, I repeatedly stumbled and fell. And so, I remained alone in that field, approximately a kilometer away from our dacha.
My parents had longed for a son, pouring all their love and hopes into me. When my sister Dasha arrived a few years later, I gladly took on the role of her protector and caretaker. I made sure she had everything she needed and often looked after her when our parents were away on business. According to my mother's recollections, kindness defined my character. I was always willing to share and give whatever I had to my friends. I had a natural affinity for phones and computers, spending hours engrossed in playing games. My mother used to say I had "golden hands" because I was skilled at crafting various paper weapons, such as rifles, assault rifles, and pistols, when I was around 10 years old.
Academics didn't capture my interest at that time, and I had yet to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up. However, the enemy ruthlessly extinguished any possibilities when they targeted our car. It was at that moment that I realized, as the only male in the vehicle, it was my duty to protect my family. Instead of hiding, I sat upright in the backseat, resolute in my resolve to shield them. Following the tragic incident, my body lay in the field for several days until my mother could retrieve it. Initially, I was laid to rest in the yard of our cherished dacha, where I had grown up. With the help of our neighbors, we dug a grave and crafted a makeshift coffin. When the enemy was eventually driven out of Kyiv Oblast, they solemnly reburied me in the Bucha cemetery. My memory lives on through my mother, father, and younger sister. They often ponder what might have happened if I had taken cover from the enemy's bullets like Dasha did. Would it have saved me? And on January 23, we would have celebrated my 16th birthday…
*This text was prepared by Memorial, a commemorative platform dedicated to sharing the stories of civilian victims and Ukrainian soldiers who lost their lives to Russia. It has been shared with hromadske, a news organization, to shed light on the casualties suffered by Ukraine.
成年被剝奪：被俄羅斯奪走未來的孩子們的心碎故事
《我被埋葬在我們度假屋的院子裡》
伊萬．伊萬諾夫， 15 歲
基輔州（靠近米羅茨基村）
2022 年 3 月 4 日
嗨！我是 Ivan，一名來自基輔州的 15 歲少年。不幸的是，我在三月初的一次絕望的撤離中失去了生命。當時，我的母親 Iryna 試圖帶我和妹妹 Dasha 從被佔領的村莊逃出。那是個可怕的時刻，子彈如雨點般打在我們的車上，在混亂中，達莎蜷縮在車底。那是我生命中的最後時刻。當我們最終離開車子繼續步行前進時，我發現一顆敵人的子彈穿透了我的心臟。疼痛難以忍受，我感覺左臂像被撕裂了一樣，完全失去了對它的控制。儘管我拼命想跟上家人，但我不斷絆倒摔倒。於是，我獨自留在那片田野中，距離我們的鄉間別墅大約一公里的地方。
我的父母一直渴望有一個兒子，將所有的愛和希望都寄託在我身上。當妹妹Dasha 幾年後出生時，我很高興地擔任她的保護者和照顧者。我確保她擁有一切所需，並在父母出差時經常照顧她。根據我母親的回憶，善良是我的性格。我總是願意與朋友分享並奉獻自己擁有的一切。我天生對手機和電腦情有獨鍾，常常花幾個小時沉浸在其中。我母親常說我有「金手」，因為我在大約 10歲時就能熟練地製作各種紙質武器，比如步槍、突擊步槍和手槍。
那時候，我對學業沒有什麼興趣，也還沒有決定長大後想成為什麼。然而，敵人無情地毀滅了所有的可能性，當他們攻擊我們的車輛時。在那一刻，我意識到，作為車上唯一的男性，我有責任保護我的家人。我沒有躲藏，而是堅定地坐在後座，決心保護他們。悲劇發生後，我的遺體在田野裡躺了好幾天，直到母親把我的遺體找回來。起初，我被安葬在我們珍愛的度假屋的院子裡，那是我成長的地方。在鄰居們的幫助下，我們挖了一個墓穴，並製作了一個臨時的棺材。當敵人最終被驅逐出基輔州時，他們莊重地將我重新安葬在布查公墓。我的記憶通過我的母親、父親和妹妹延續下來。他們經常思考，如果我像Dashas 那樣逃過敵人的子彈，事情會不會有所不同？ 我會有救嗎？而在 1 月 23日，我們本來會慶祝我的 16 歲生日……
*本文由 Memorial, a commemorative platform 組織編寫。 這是一個紀念平台，致力於分享在俄羅斯戰爭中喪生的平民受害者和烏克蘭士兵的故事。它已與新聞機構 hromadske 分享，以揭示烏克蘭的傷亡情況。
