Dad whose farewell to son broke hearts tells of struggle as they are reunited
A father whose farewell to his son broke millions of hearts worldwide has spoken out about life in Ukraine, two years on from the Russian invasion.
The Daily Mirror front page showing tearful Hordiy Gladkiy being packed off to safety on a train by his dad Ruslan is one of the most powerful images of the war.
Hordiy, now 10, has since returned to the Ukrainian city of Lviv, but he is still unable to attend school every week because its bomb shelter is not big enough for all the pupils.
Ruslan said: “Hordiy does go to school, but not regularly. One week there is face-to-face learning, and the next week, distance learning. This is due to the fact that our school only has a small bomb shelter, and all children cannot hide there at the same time during an air attack.”
Three days after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Ruslan, 37, put his wife Halyna, little Hordiy and his sister Emilia, now six, on a train from Lviv to Budapest in Hungary.
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The image was seen on front pages across the world and is one of the most famous images from the warRuslan, who stayed behind to help Ukraine fight Russia, told Hordiy to “be brave for your mother”. The distraught dad feared he would never see his family again. Initially, they stayed with relatives in Italy but could not bear to be apart.
Despite the potential dangers, the family returned to Lviv three months later and Ruslan said that, in the months since, life in Lviv has moved on. Ukrainians can now tell if they are about to be hit by a Russian attack.
The dad and son back togetherHe told me: “Russian missiles flew over our city tonight. They flew towards the border with Poland and then changed direction to Lviv.
“I don’t know if I will surprise you but in the past two years, we have now learned to monitor the movement of missiles through our territory online.
“Even immediately after the enemy planes take off, we know whether we should worry or whether we can continue to do our business.”
The youngster waves from the railway coach as a human tide of refugees leave to safety (Daily Mirror/Andy Stenning)Ruslan said Emilia loves going to school and Hordiy particularly enjoys his karate lessons. He said: “In the summer, he will take the exam for a brown belt and says that he dreams of becoming a karate coach. Let’s hope the war is over by then.”
Fierce resistance by the Ukrainian army foiled Russia’s attempt to capture the capital, Kyiv.
But there has been continued fighting in the east of the country, with both sides claiming victories in the taking of towns and cities.
The family back togetherSince the war began, some 10,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed and 18,000 injured. An estimated 300,000-plus Russian soldiers have died or been wounded.
Russia first invaded Ukraine back in 2014 when it annexed the Black Sea region of Crimea.
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