Elderly woman shot in a wheelchair as Russians attack Vovchansk
This is another example of the unimaginable brutality exhibited by Russians towards their victims. In Vovchansk, where battles have been ongoing for two days and the fate of the city hangs in the balance, advancing Russian forces shot an elderly woman in a wheelchair. The drama was recounted to military prosecutors by the woman's husband, who witnessed his beloved wife's death. The details are shocking.
8:03 AM EDT, May 23, 2024
For several days now, fighting in the Kharkiv region has continued unabated, and as usual, civilians are the most affected. A few days ago, the local district prosecutor's office informed the public about a tragic incident in Vovchansk, a city that the Russians are currently fighting to capture.
Officials initially reported that the occupiers had shot a man in a wheelchair, but it ultimately turned out that the victim was not a man, but his dependent and disabled wife. Now, the victim’s husband has spoken about what happened. He couldn't hold back his tears and was visibly shaking.
During the attack on their city, the couple didn’t leave their home for four days. When they finally managed to organize help in the form of a wheelchair with the support of strangers, an unimaginable tragedy occurred just as they were preparing to escape.
We got the wheelchair early in the morning, but then there were two more days of shelling. (...) Bombs or grenades were flying, I don’t know - the man recounts in the recording. - Fire was coming, glass was flying, so I said (to my wife, ed.) Alochka, we won't make it.
The couple left their home practically as they were. The wife still managed to put on a red jacket, and they took their documents. The husband tried to push his wife in the wheelchair, but it got stuck every few yards on the uneven surface. Shots were heard all around.
The man bent down to unlock the wheel and at that moment, the occupiers fired a burst from a machine gun in their direction. It proved lethal.
I shouted: what are you doing, we are civilians - the man recalls. But when he turned around, his wife was already dead.
As he told the prosecutor who is investigating and documenting Russian war crimes in Ukraine, one of the bullets hit her in the head. He clearly saw the wound, pieces of the brain, and the blood that had pooled on the murdered woman’s body. He wanted to evacuate her but couldn't manage as the wheelchair got stuck. He escaped on foot, leaving his wife's body by the roadside...
