Child Rescued During Attack on Bila Horditsa
Radio Liberty war correspondent Marian Kushnir saved a four-year-old girl from a burning apartment building in Bila Horditsa, Kyiv region, following an enemy drone attack. The strike occurred around 2 a.m. on January 28, damaging the multi-story residential building and igniting a fire on the top floor. This attack on the Bila Horditsa community is part of the ongoing Russian assault on Ukraine's capital region.
Marian Kushnir, who was on the scene, entered the burning apartment to rescue the girl. He carried her out and handed her to neighbors. He then attempted to re-enter, hoping other survivors might be inside, but the fire had spread too quickly and the staircase was already ablaze. The girl's mother and stepfather were killed in the attack. The rescued child was unharmed and is now with her father and older brother.
Aftermath of the Strike
Firefighters discovered the bodies of the two deceased victims while extinguishing the blaze. Occupying forces attacked the capital using strike drones. While Kyiv's air defense systems were active, falling debris in the Holosiivskyi district damaged windows and the roof of another apartment building. At 1:38 a.m., the attack by an enemy Geran-2 drone caused a fire in a top-floor apartment of a seven-story building in the Bila Horditsa community, Bucha district.
'I have worked as a war correspondent for many years and regularly see the consequences of Russian attacks. But I never thought it would happen to my home. There is no safe place in Ukraine right now.'
— Marian Kushnir
The tragedy in Bila Horditsa underscores the horrific consequences of the war in Ukraine, which impact not only combat zones but also civilian populations. The drone attack demonstrated the vulnerability of residential areas and the urgent need for measures to protect civilians. The rescue of the child in this situation highlights the extraordinary courage of individuals who risk their own lives to save others amid the war's devastation.