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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Ryan Fahey

Schoolboys' heroic words before they die in shootout with Russian soldiers

Two Ukrainian schoolboys are being hailed as heroes after they bravely shouted a defiant message before they were killed by Russian forces after they shot dead two of them.

Tihran Ohannisian grasped his Kalashnikov tightly as he cried "Farewell! Glory to Ukraine" after being shot in an exchange of gunfire which he said had resulted in the deaths of two occupiers.

In a video that has since gone viral, Tihran and his fellow classmate Mykyta Khananov, said: "'Two for sure, that's death, guys. Farewell! Glory to Ukraine!'

Tihran then proudly lifted his fist in solidarity with his country.

The video has been widely shared on social media, where they have been praised for their bravery.

Tihran Ohannisian shot dead a couple of Russian soldiers (Twitter)
Knowing his fate, he shouted "Farewell! Glory to Ukraine!" (Twitter)

Russia confirmed it had killed two 16-year-old children on Saturday, labelling them "pro-Ukrainian terrorists" for killing a civilian.

After their case became the subject of a European parliament resolution, efforts are now being made to understand exactly what happened.

The resolution said that Tihran and Mykyta were tortured by bloodthirsty Russian troops.

In September, Russian forces raided Tihran's home in Berdyansk after being accused of sabotaging railway lines used by the Kremlin to transport military equipment and personnel.

Though Mykyta was also implicated, he managed to avoid being arrested.

While in prison, Tihran was brutalised and tortured by his interrogators, who used the tactics to elicit a confession.

His release was eventually negotiated with the help of media and human rights activists.

Over recent months, Tihran had been tortured by Russian soldiers, according to human rights organisations (Twitter)

Both Tihran and Mykyta were confined under house arrest and required to check in at a local police station every day.

Tihran's mother shared details of the hideous treatment her boy was subjected to.

"My son was tortured with electric shocks," Oksana Starovierova, told journalists, according to The Times.

"They took him to a field and carried out a mock execution," she said.

"Russians asked him, 'Are you going to become a guerrilla?' They ordered him to prepare to die."

The rest of Tihran's family fled to Germany in the wake of the invasion, while Tihran valiantly decided to remain so he could stay with his grandma.

When his family returned in the hopes of removing him from the country, the Russian forces banned them from doing so.

It wasn't until last month that the boys were officially charged with alleged sabotage.

Each child faced up to 20 years in a Russian penal colony.

The European parliament has called for Russia to halt in all "grave violations against children", adding that boys must be transferred to Ukrainian territory.

It has also told the kremlin to grant the boy access to lawyers and other official organisation.

However, though meetings were supposed to be allowed with the Red Cross and UN, none have taken place.

The last time Oksana spoke with him was a few days before his tragic death on the phone.

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