A tragic irony: WWII veterans fall victim to war in Ukraine
Every year, to commemorate Victory Day, Vladimir Putin pays homage to World War II veterans. Concurrently, he spearheads a harsh war in Ukraine, which has resulted in the deaths of veterans. The portal Ważnyje Istorii shares the stories of those who outlived one war only to fall into another.
97-year-old Ivan Lysun from the Kharkiv region, who had bravely faced the atrocities of World War II at the tender age of 18 when drafted into the front lines of the Red Army and made it to Germany, could not endure Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In May 2022, Lysun narrowly escaped death and lost his home built by his father in the native village of Zolochiv. A month later, he succumbed to heart failure, a condition believed to be exacerbated by the stress he endured, as reported by Ważnyje Istorii.
The story of 99-year-old Mykola Holub is also told. Having lived through the Great Famine as a child, he fought for the liberation of southern Ukraine and Moldova from German occupation during World War II. In June 2022, the constant threat of Russian shelling forced Holub to flee his home.
97-year-old Hryhorij Vaksman turned down his family's pleas to evacuate Kharkiv, a city under relentless Russian bombardment.
Similarly, Oleksandr Mateliczenko, a 96-year-old resident of Kharkiv who helped free the city from German occupation in World War II, remains there today. He hopes fervently for the safety of its people and the preservation of the city, as highlighted by Ważnyje Historii, based on reports including those from the Suspilne portal.
The Russian narrative suggests that Mariupol has, in a way, relived the siege of Leningrad's history. For several months, it was encircled by Russian forces that mercilessly attacked, disregarding civilian lives.
In a shelter in Mariupol, 96-year-old Mariya Korotkova passed away without access to needed medical care. Nina Shevchenko, 92, died in a fire after a Russian missile struck the building she was in with her family. Valentina Shevchenko, 88, died from starvation and cold in Mariupol. As a child, she had lived through World War II, orphaned by the conflict.
96-year-old Borys Romanchenko, a survivor of German concentration camps, including Buchenwald, was killed in Kharkiv in March 2022 by a Russian missile.
91-year-old Wanda Objedkova, who survived the Holocaust, died in a Mariupol basement where she sought refuge from the war instigated by Russia. At 10 years old, Objedkova had hidden from the German occupation of Mariupol in the city's basements.
