She Gave Her Life for Her Children: Mother Killed Shielding Sons in Kyiv Missile Strike

Jacob, surrounded by birthday balloons on his third birthday, keeps calling for his mother from a hospital bed. He last felt her embrace as Veronika Chuyan, 28, shielded him and his older brother Jasim while running toward shelter when a Russian missile struck their Kyiv apartment block.

The family’s building had already been rocked by a nearby impact four minutes earlier, which tore a playground free from its moorings. Witnesses say the second strike — a so-called "double tap" — hit with devastating force, shredding the residential towers above and scattering debris.

Veronika scrambled with her sons over overturned wardrobes, broken shelving and scattered family photos to reach the stairwell. As neighbours moved in one direction, she turned toward an underground car park to find safety. The second missile struck before she could reach it. Passers-by pulled the two boys into the car park, but Veronika was found dead just yards from a traffic barrier, mere metres from safety.

Rescue, Medical Care and Aftermath

Volunteer medics — including a Scottish combat medic known by the call sign "Scotty" — and local passers-by reached the wounded long before ambulances arrived. Scotty described picking his way among the dead and dying as the ground was soaked with blood. Jacob’s arm had been severely injured and he has since undergone five operations in an effort to save it.

Anya Zabolotna, a mother who was sheltering nearby, held Jacob when his parents could not be found. She remembered the child repeatedly asking, "Where's my mum? Where's my grandma?" to which rescuers tried to offer small comforts — talking about Paw Patrol and naming his favourite character, Skye, to calm him.

Family And Community Grief

Veronika’s mother, who was present during the strike, lost a leg and remains in unstable condition in hospital. Angela Ogannisyan, Veronika’s aunt, has taken custody of Jacob and Jasim. More than 100 friends, family, former teachers, colleagues and clients attended Veronika’s farewell in Zhytomyr, bringing flowers and mourning the loss of a young mother described as resilient, generous and devoted to her children.

“The children were everything to her,” said Mykyta, Veronika’s cousin. “She would have done anything for them.”

The missile that killed Veronika also claimed five other lives and injured nearly 20 people. Many victims were reported to be only metres from potential safety when the blast struck.

Context

The attack forms part of a recent surge in Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities. Officials and witnesses say these salvos have been large and timed to overwhelm Kyiv’s air defences, contributing to a dramatic rise in civilian casualties in 2026.

At the children’s hospital, nurses lit candles on a Paw Patrol–themed cake and sang Happy Birthday as Jacob cried, “Mama, Mama, Mama.” The city and Veronika’s community continue to grieve, and her surviving family members are preparing to care for the two boys.