One last touch of my daughter’s hand… after Putin’s missiles pierced her tiny heart: Mother holds her four-year-old child as she is laid to rest in Ukraine after shrapnel struck her vital organs

Little Zlata’s hand felt cold, but her mother, Nadiia, never wanted to let go. She knew this would be the last time she would feel her daughter’s palms.

Nadiia and her husband, Viacheslav Rostochyl, made sure to bury their daughter with as many flowers, dolls and teddy bears as her coffin could carry.

The young girl, born in November 2019, was buried at the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa, southern Ukraine, on May 26, three days after her heart, pierced by a Russian missile fragment, stopped beating.

Although she was unbearably young, she fought for her life for almost a whole month after the ballistic missile carrying illegal cluster munitions fell on her hometown on April 29.

But her strength and determination brought little comfort to her family, all of whom grieved deeply as they buried her in the Orthodox Church.

Nadiia stared deeply into her daughter’s eyes, knowing they would never open again.

Although she was unbearably young, Zlata fought for her life for almost a whole month

The young girl, born in November 2019, was buried in the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa, southern Ukraine

In the Russian attack, Vladimir Putin’s forces destroyed a university building, the Odesa Law Academy, leading to the deaths of eight people, including Zlata.

More than thirty people were injured, including a pregnant woman and another child.

Odesans could only watch as the university building collapsed after being set on fire by the rocket, while local firefighters desperately tried to extinguish the fire.

Video footage from the time showed smoke and flames licking the sky as it consumed the building.

A student at the academy who identified herself by her first name, Maria, said the fire was caused when the missile was intercepted.

‘A rocket was shot down before my eyes, this was right in front of me. My doors were blown open and the glass shook. And then I saw this,” she told Reuters at the time.

In the Russian attack, Vladimir Putin’s forces destroyed a university building, the Odesa Law Academy

Zlata’s heart was pierced by a fragment of a Russian missile

Zlata was born in November 2019

Her mother and father (pictured) mourned the loss of their daughter

Relatives mourned the loss of little Zlata

“Right before this happened we wanted to go for a walk there, but thank God we weren’t there when it happened.”

Odesa, home to a major Ukrainian port, is increasingly finding itself in Russia’s crosshairs, with drone and missile attacks becoming more common as Russia uses increasingly dirty tactics to gain an edge over Ukraine.

And children have been particularly affected by Russian attempts to attack critical infrastructure.

About 600 children were killed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last month, while more than 1,350 were injured, according to official UN data.

International organizations have accused Russia of deliberately targeting children in Ukraine, with the International Criminal Court last year seeking an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, for allegedly deporting and transferring Ukrainian children to Russia. illegal.

Children have been particularly affected by Russian attempts to attack critical infrastructure

Last month, about 600 children were killed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

International organizations have accused Russia of deliberately targeting children during its invasion of Ukraine

More than 1,350 children were injured during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to official UN data

Odesa, home to a major Ukrainian port, is increasingly in the Russian crosshairs

Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky, who is leading the charge against Putin, is seeking more help from the West to fight the despot and will receive Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Spain at noon today.

The Spanish royal family said in a statement that King Felipe VI will also receive the Ukrainian leader at the palace, which usually happens after seeing the prime minister on state visits.

“Afterwards, King Felipe and Queen Letizia will host a lunch in his honor,” it added.

It is Zelensky’s first official visit to Spain since he came to power in 2019, and comes more than two years after Russia’s invasion of his country.

According to the Spanish palace, the Ukrainian president would visit Spain and Portugal in mid-May. But he postponed his trip because of the Russian offensive in northern Ukraine, media said.

Sánchez told the Spanish parliament on Wednesday that the two countries are preparing to sign a bilateral cooperation agreement.

“We have made decisive progress in our bilateral relations with the Ukrainian government,” the Socialist leader said.

“So much so that today I can announce to you that, as soon as the situation on the front allows, we will sign an agreement with Ukraine that will increase economic, social and institutional cooperation between our countries,” he added.