After Two Years, Eight-Year-Old Roman Removes Scar Mask After Surviving Russian Missile Strike

Roman Oleksiv, the eight-year-old Ukrainian boy who suffered burns to 45% of his body from a Russian missile strike on Vinnytsia in July 2022, has removed his scar-reducing mask, his father, Yaroslav wrote on Instagram.

On July 14, 2022, Roman was waiting with his mother, Halyna, for a doctor’s appointment in Vinnytsia when Russian missiles struck the city’s downtown. The 29-year-old woman died on the spot, along with a medic and 25 others.

Roman survived despite suffering 45% burns to his body and internal organ damage. A few months later, he learned to walk again, and now he even dances and plays the bayan once more.

“His entire body was burned. When he crawled out after the explosion, he sat on hot stones, which caused burns to his legs and buttocks,” the father said.

Yaroslav shared that it has been two years since the boy was discharged from the University Hospital of Dresden and sent for further rehabilitation. Roman spent over 100 days in intensive care and underwent 27 surgeries during that time.

“And now the time has come when the blue mask remains a memory of that period of our life. Now, our rehabilitation will and will have a different look. In our minds, we are already home in Ukraine. We hope that soon this will become a reality. A new chapter will begin there — life, recovery, and dreams!” Yaroslav added.

Previously, on December 24, Russian media outlet Vazhnyie Istorii reported that an 18-year-old Ukrainian orphan, Oleksandr Yakushchenko, who had been relocated from the Kherson region to Russia, has reportedly taken his own life while living with a foster family in Russia’s Krasnodar region.