Ukrainian Man Says He Learned About His Wife And Children's Tragic Death On Twitter

A man whose wife and two children were killed by a Russian mortar strike while trying to flee the Ukrainian city of Irpen last week has said he learned about his family's tragic death after seeing a harrowing image of their blood-covered bodies on Twitter.

Sergii Perebyinis confirmed in an interview with The New York Times that the victims in the photo taken by photographer Lynsey Addario, which has been making rounds online, were his wife Tatiana Perebeinis, 43, their daughter Alise, 9, and son Nikita, 18.

Sergii also told the outlet he wasn't with his family when they died in a civilian refugee corridor that led to neighboring country Poland.

Tatiana had decided to stay in Irpen, where she lived, when the invasion began because her mother was sick. Moreover, their son belonged to the age group of males who weren't allowed to flee the country, Ksenia Khirvonina, a spokesperson from SE Ranking, the California-based company where Tatiana worked, told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Thousands of civilians raced to evacuate Irpen, a small suburb located just 20 kilometers from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, on March 5 after advancing Russian forces began raining down missiles. In the evacuation bid, hundreds of civilians huddled under a bridge that was blown up by the Ukrainian army to cut off the route for Russian tanks.

The family was knocked dead by a missile while trying to run down an exposed street. In the brutal photo that has since sparked outrage worldwide, the lifeless bodies of the man's family members could be seen lying next to suitcases strewn about the street as well as a carrying case of a small dog that was still barking, according to The New York Times.

The photo was posted on Twitter as a symbolic representation of the human toll of the ongoing war and Sergii happened to notice it just hours later. He told the outlet that he immediately recognized the luggage bags. "I recognized the luggage and that is how I knew," he said. "The whole world should know what is happening here."

The family's apartment was reportedly bombed the day before they were killed, forcing them to seek shelter in the basement without heat or food.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the deaths Sunday evening, vowing not to forgive or forget those who committed atrocities in the war.

"Today, a family of four, parents and two children, were killed in Irpin as they were trying to leave the city. We will not forgive. We will not forget," The Kyiv Independent quoted Zelenskyy as saying.

The Russian shelling of the populous cities as well as on humanitarian evacuation routes suggested Laws of War violations. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has disputed Moscow's claims that the Russian military isn't engaging in "deliberate" attacks on civilians citing several "credible reports" that indicate possible war crimes.