'Saw My Mother Burning': 15-Year-Old Narrates The Horrors Of Russian Land Mine Attack

A teen from Northern Ukraine has recounted the horrors of the Russian invasion that claimed the life of his mother. His family was fleeing the invading troops when their vehicle struck a land mine near the village of Kolychivka.

Andriy, a 15-year-old from Chernihiv, is currently recuperating in the western city of Lviv. The teen, who insists on keeping his family name anonymous, told Radio Free Europe that he saw his "mother lying and burning." "She was still alive while she was burning. Her leg was twitching," he added.

Andriy hails from Chernihiv, a city near the borders of Belarus and Russia, and one of the cities hardest hit by bombs, shells and rockets. Besides his mother, the explosion also killed the driver of his vehicle and his sister. Andriy, who survived with his cousin, has a metal ring around his fractured left leg and a cast on his right one.

The teen remembers the morning the war began. Andriy's mother woke him up in their apartment in Chernihiv as sirens and explosions reverberated in the background.

Andriy's father, who joined the city's defense forces, however, managed to drive his family and a nephew to their summer home in the village of Ivanivka, 15 kilometers south of the city. However, their hopes to be safe there were soon doused when Russian troops stormed into the village, encircling the city.

A shell crashed into their summer home as the family hid in the basement. Soon, an armored personnel carrier entered their property and Russian soldiers were inside their home. "As soon as they found the pantry, we started shouting that we are civilians. They threatened us with a grenade [and] we climbed out," Andriy said.

Andriy, his mother, and cousin spent the night at a neighbor's house because their house was "completely destroyed." However, the family managed to leave the village the next day after a family friend negotiated with the Russian troops in Ivanivka.

The plan was to return to Chernihiv. However, a few minutes into the ride, Andriy recalls seeing a sudden "yellow flash" and feeling "ringing in my ears" as he flew out of the car. The land mine attack destroyed the vehicle as the family tried to crawl off the road.

He told the news outlet that Ukrainian troops later moved the family to a hospital. However, the situation there was even worse "as there were no available beds in the crowded hospital." His father picked him up immediately after the operation and took him home. After his condition stabilized, the family fled to Lviv.

The family, however, could not bury Andriy's mother due to the war. Her body has been lying in a refrigerator at a morgue for the past three weeks.

According to the news outlet, Andriy's story couldn't be verified although photos, videos and tales of other evacuees from Chernihiv lend support to his story.

The report, quoting Chernihiv region governor Vyacheslav Chaus, said the Russian troops still haven't been able to capture the city. However, half its population has left the city.