A 28-year-old Ukrainian mother died just metres from safety after shielding her two young sons from a second missile strike on her Kyiv neighbourhood, in an attack that killed six people and injured almost twenty during a renewed wave of intensified Russian strikes on the capital.
Veronika Chuyan had already survived one missile impact near her apartment block, which shook the building and destroyed a children’s playground in the courtyard below. Seeing a neighbouring residential building engulfed in flames, she gathered her sons, three-year-old Jacob and five-year-old Jasim, and led them through debris and damaged furniture to join other residents evacuating via the stairwell, fearing a so-called “double tap” strike — a tactic in which a second missile follows shortly after the first, something she had experienced before during years of Russian bombardment.
As the family emerged outside, other residents headed in one direction while Veronika turned towards an underground car park being used as a shelter. It was at that moment the second missile struck. Witnesses described an explosion powerful enough that it felt as though the ground had split apart, tearing through nearby buildings and scattering debris across the area. Veronika’s body was later found beside a traffic barrier, only metres from the entrance to the shelter. Passers-by carried both boys to safety inside.
Jacob suffered serious injuries to his arm and has since undergone five operations at a children’s hospital in Kyiv. His older brother Jasim survived the strike. Veronika’s mother, also caught in the attack, lost a leg and remains in hospital in an unstable condition. Jacob’s relatives have not yet told him that his mother died.
“The children were everything to her,” said Mykyta, Veronika’s cousin. “She would have done anything for them.” Friends and family said Veronika, who worked as a manicurist and had lived with chronic illness for much of her adult life, had always wanted children and was devoted to raising her two sons as a single mother. Her aunt said she had recently been planning for their future, including enrolling Jasim in dance classes and arranging extracurricular activities and English lessons.
Among those who responded in the aftermath was a Scottish combat medic known by the call sign Scotty, who drove to the scene near Dorohozhychi metro station after learning of the strike, arriving with another medic before ambulances reached the area. Inside the shelter, 34-year-old Anya Zabolotna helped care for survivors as injured civilians streamed in. Unable to locate Jacob’s parents, she picked him up and tried to comfort him, only realising afterwards that both she and the toddler were covered in blood. “There’s an inner voice going, panic, scream, run away,” Scotty recalled. “But you have to default back to your training. Don’t think, just do.” While he treated Jacob’s arm, Anya tried to distract the boy from the pain. He repeatedly asked where his mother and grandmother were, describing the explosion in simple terms as a “boom” and a “bang.” Scotty is believed to have helped save three lives that night, including Jacob’s, and remained in his car for almost an hour afterwards as the toll of the response caught up with him.
More than 100 mourners attended Veronika’s funeral in her home city of Zhytomyr on Friday, including family, friends, former colleagues and clients. The officiant told those gathered that she had spent her final moments trying to protect her children.
The strike came amid a renewed escalation in Russian attacks on Kyiv, with President Vladimir Putin having vowed to intensify operations against the Ukrainian capital as Moscow’s military campaign continues to face resistance on the battlefield. According to Ukrainian officials, recent assaults have involved large-scale missile barrages launched in rapid succession, designed to stretch Ukraine’s air defences, with last month recording the highest number of civilian casualties in ten months and this year’s death toll already surpassing the equivalent period in 2025.
In a post on X on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote: “Russia is carrying out hundreds of strikes against Ukrainian cities and communities, attacking our civilian infrastructure every day. This past week alone, the Russians have launched 1,920 attack drones, 1,790 guided aerial bombs, and 17 missiles of various types against Ukraine. We need to step up our countermeasures against these attacks. We are preparing for meetings with partners to strengthen our defense against this Russian terror. The G7, EU, and NATO summits are ahead. And it is very important that these negotiations result in concrete decisions. We expect meaningful meetings with our partners. First and foremost, we need support for air defense and our long-range capabilities, an expansion of cooperation in the Drone Deals format, and further strengthening of sanctions pressure on Russia. We must end this war in a dignified way and with guaranteed security. And it is through strength, the unity of partners, and pressure on Russia that this can be achieved in a lasting way. I thank everyone who is helping us!”
