Increbidle at the first sight story of 10-year-old Ilia Matvienko is common for thousands of Ukrainian children. Right after #RussiaInvadedUkraine the little boy & his mom from #Mariupol found a protection from shellings in a basement until one day irreversibly changed everything
That time an attack caught them outside and a couple rushed to a neighbors' house but failed to get there safely. Despite receiving a severe head injury Ilya’s mother, Natalia, managed to carry her wounded son to the apartment of their acquaintances alone.
Right after reaching safety the mom died in Ilia embraces. The city was took by #RussianSoldiers the next day and kidnapped boy was deportated to the occupied part of #Donbas. Ilia, whose injuried leg almost got amputated there, was returned to #Ukraine by his grandma
The woman crossed borders of four countries to reunite with the boy. He met her at a Kyiv hospital right at the day of his 10th birthday. That day Ilya had a symbolic second birthday when doctors said that later his leg is functioning and someday he would be able to walk.
Despite the little survivor of #RussianWarCrimes spent that special day without the dearest person - his deceased mother Natalia - he still had a little celebration party with the grandmother, medical stuff, 3 Ukrainian ministers and the president of Ukraine
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