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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
At the beginning of summer, while still serving as defense minister, I went to Sumy. I wanted to personally look into the air defense problems and find solutions to protect people.
A few days earlier the enemy had struck residential buildings with KABs. People died. My team and I went to the site of the tragedy to lay flowers.
There, by the destroyed building, I met Yevhen. I still remember the pain in his eyes.
Yevhen is a policeman who took part in the Kursk operation. On the day of the tragedy he was heading to positions near Pokrovsk. When he saw a KAB heading toward Sumy on the “Virazh,” he immediately called his wife.
They were still talking when the Russian bomb hit the building. His wife and five-year-old daughter were killed. His older daughter Veronika and her friend miraculously survived.
After that meeting I thought for a long time about what you can say to someone after such a loss. I could only say one thing then: “I’m sorry.”
In Kyiv we met at Okhmatdyt, where Veronika was being treated.
Later I wrote to Sweden’s defense minister, Paul Jonsson, and asked him to meet with Yevhen and Veronika. I wanted him to hear their story in person and see how important fighters are for protecting Ukrainians. This year we signed a historic agreement on Gripen aircraft, which will help Ukraine fight Russian KABs as soon as next year.
While the world’s attention focuses on other events, Russia continues to attack our cities every day. Yevhen found the strength to tell the story of his own family’s tragedy. He won’t let people forget the consequences of Russian terror.
His story was recently published by The New York Times. It’s important that as many people as possible hear it. Behind every news item about the war are real people whose lives Russia is destroying.
Telegram publication