A happy birthday...then they were all killed
SMILING for the camera with a birthday cake made of slices of bread, this is the last image of five Ukrainian women all killed by Russian bombs.
The young rookie fighters died in the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, scene of the bitterest fighting until it surrendered in May.
They include Alla Taran, 33, who died alongside her husband Vitaliy, leaving their son, three, orphaned.
Anastasia Kunytska, 23, was also killed, with three unnamed comrades.
His sister Olga, 17, said: “These women courageously held the line against the Russian onslaught.
“To make themselves at least a small celebration, the girls even made a cake out of bread and pancakes for a husband’s birthday.
“And they then took a picture of themselves with the cake. All the women in that picture died at Azovstal. Some left behind small children.”
Olga told how Anastasia died an hour after their final conversation.
She said: “She was getting ready to have a wash and took a picture of a bucket with muddy liquid in it. This water was, most likely, for all the girls.
“During our last conversation, she was worried about my health and asked me to go see the doctor because I was suffering from a stomach ache.
“She was killed by a bomb that hit the bunker shortly after that.” Anastasia, known as Nastya, had fought alongside fiance Vladyslav Oksenchuk, who is now a prisoner in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region.
He is permitted to speak with his family by phone once every few weeks.
Olga added: “He and I are very close. He is always very open with me. He called to tell about the death of
Nastya, and he couldn’t speak.
“We both just cried. Life has lost its meaning for him. He said he didn’t want to live any more.
“He speaks with us for two to three minutes. He asks us not to worry. There are about 23 people in the cell. I understand they are not fed well.”