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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
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Andy Lines in Lviv

Ukrainian families heartbroken as 16 kids die and 112 injured during Russian invasion

This shocking war has seen 16 innocent children slaughtered by invading Russian forces.

Some of the harrowing images are heartbreaking. Most of them are so horrifically graphic they cannot be published here.

But their parents insist the world should see what Vladimir Putin is doing to their families.

And it was claimed the Russian army are even using controversial banned cluster bombs - one hit a kindergarten killing two adults and a child.

Another exploded in Kharkiv today. Some of the most shocking scenes were filmed with the permission of doctors.

A six-year-old girl was killed while she was wearing her pink unicorn pyjamas.

(@nexta_tv/Twitter)

The unnamed girl died when a shell hit her parents’ apartment in Mariupol.

Despite frantic efforts to save her, she died.

During the rescue attempt, a doctor in blue medical scrubs, pumping oxygen into the girl, looked directly into the video camera capturing the scene.

He shouts angrily: “Show this to Putin. The eyes of this child, and crying doctors.”

A woman, believed to be her mum, is carrying the girl’s slippers, a pompom scarf and bobble hat.

An injured child receives treatment after being wounded in a car during Russian attacks (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Then the girl’s dad, holding his lifeless child’s hand, as the paramedic performs CPR on her tiny body.

He is crying while covered in blood. A team of doctors then carry her into the hospital.

Seven doctors work on her body, which is still being gripped by her praying father.

The final image shows the child alone on a gurney in an empty ward, having been declared dead.

She and 15 others have paid the ultimate price.

Another 112 have been injured - some with life-changing injuries.

The Deputy Mayor of Kyiv shared a photo of an 11-year-old girl named Polina, who was killed while in a car with her family.

She was in her last year of primary school and died while trying to escape the capital in a car with her parents.

Her younger brother and sister were taken to hospital, where they are in intensive care.

The mayor said: “Her name was Polina. She studied in the 4th grade of school in Kyiv.

“This morning on Teligi her and her parents were shot by Russian DRG.”

Elsewhere, seven-year-old Alisa Hlans was killed in the cluster bomb attack that hit the kindergarten in Okhtyrka.

People grieve at the Kalininsky District Cemetery during the funeral of a teacher and deputy headmaster (Sergei Bobylev/TASS)

Amnesty International said cluster bombs - which contain multiple lethal explosive submunitions - were being used.

Secretary general Agnes Callamard said: “There is no possible justification for dropping cluster munitions in populated areas, let alone near a school.”

She tweeted: “Cluster munitions kill child and two other civilians taking shelter at a preschool in Ukraine.

“This attack bears all the hallmarks of Russia use of this banned and inherently indiscriminate weapon, and shows flagrant disregard for civilian life.”

The funeral of geography teacher Yelena Kudrin and deputy headmaster Yelena Ivanova, from Secondary School No.50 (Sergei Bobylev/TASS)

Another boy was killed when a block of flats caught fire after being shelled in Chuhuiv, a small town outside Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv.

Children including those diagnosed with cancer were moved to the basement of Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital Fighting was fiercest in the eastern city of Kharkiv.

Anton Herashchenko, an adviser to Kyiv’s interior minister said Russian troops had bombarded residential areas with Grad missiles, saying: “Dozens have been killed and hundreds wounded!

“The whole world must see this horror! Death to the occupiers!”

Children were moved to the basement floor or the shelter of Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital amid Russian attacks in Kyiv (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

While fighting continued across the country the expected massive Russian air blitz did not take place.

Kyiv was fairly quiet overnight but there is a huge Russian build up of tanks 20 miles to the north.

Chernihiv in the north-east faced heavy shelling from Russian troops overnight, but remained in Ukrainian hands.

Mariupol residents said the port city on the sea of Azov was surrounded by Russian forces and under heavy attack.

The Ministry of Defence tweeted an intelligence update on the situation.

It said: “The bulk of Putin’s ground forces remain more than 30km to the north of Kyiv their advance having been slowed by Ukrainian forces defending Hostomel airfield, a key Russian objective for day one of the conflict.

“Heavy fighting continues around Chernihiv and Kharkiv however both cities remain under Ukrainian control.

“Logistical failures and staunch Ukrainian resistance continue to frustrate the Russian advance.

“Despite continued attempts to suppress details of the conflict from the Russian population, the Russian Armed Forces has for the first time been forced to acknowledge suffering casualties.”

One female Ukrainian MP - Kira Rudik, the leader of the Voice party in the parliament - said she was confident she could shoot a Russian soldier if one came to her home.

Children fighting cancer hold signs that say 'Stop War' in the bomb shelter of an oncology center in Kyiv (AFP via Getty Images)

She said: “I don’t have any plans to leave. This is my city, this is my country, and I plan to defend it for as long as will be needed.

“There is no chance that some Russian crazy dictator would be able to push me away from where I live and where I love.”

Rudik is one of many who have taken up the offer of arming themselves, with military forces looking to bolster key positions.

She said: “We received rifles in the Ukrainian parliament and for the last couple of days I was training to use it, so right now I’m pretty confident I would be able to shoot somebody if they come to my home.

“I assembled a resistance crew which now consists of 15 people, and we were able to stand up for ourselves and help our army patrol the streets.”

A big fire at a petroleum storage depot after a Russian missile attack in Vasylkiv (ALISA YAKUBOVYCH/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Tonight it emerged Ukrainian soldiers who were reportedly killed on Snake island are still alive, according to a statement posted on Facebook by Ukraine’s naval services.

“We are very happy to learn that our brothers are alive and well,” the statement said.

It continued: “The sailors rebuked twice the attacks of the Russian invaders but could no longer continue to protect the island.”

Ukrainian officials said approximately 5,300 Russian troops have been killed and claimed that 191 tanks, 29 fighter jets, 29 helicopters and 816 armoured personnel carriers have been destroyed by Ukraine’s forces.

The United Nations’ refugee agency said 422,000 people have fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries.

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