Ukrainian Police Officer Shields 9-Year-Old Boy From Russian Double-Tap Drone Strike, Video

A Ukrainian police officer shielded a 9-year-old boy with his body during a second Russian drone strike on a residential area in Hlukhiv, Sumy region, on November 14, according to Ukrainian Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi, who released body-camera footage of the incident.

The attack occurred at approximately 6 a.m., when a Russian drone struck a residential property, damaging an outbuilding and causing a fire that spread to a nearby house.

Police officers Mykola Savchenko and Ihor Voloshko arrived at the scene and discovered an injured woman and her 9-year-old grandson near the damaged building. The boy had heard the officers approaching and called for help.

According to Vyhivskyi, Savchenko immediately began providing first aid to the woman, applying a tourniquet to her leg to stop the bleeding. As the officers prepared to evacuate the victims, they received a warning that another Russian drone was approaching the area.

The police attempted to move the woman and child to safety, but the drone began descending before they could reach shelter. “Will I survive?” the boy asked moments before the second strike, according to Vyhivskyi.

Savchenko responded by covering the child with his body to protect him from the explosion. Body-camera footage released by Ukrainian authorities shows the officers' efforts to assist the victims and protect the child during the renewed attack.

Read more

Category

War in Ukraine

How Russian Double-Taps Increasingly Kill Rescuers

Oct 26, 2026 16:41

The second strike injured a police officer and the 54-year-old woman. The child sustained injuries during the initial attack but was not reported to have suffered additional injuries from the second explosion.

Despite the danger, the officers managed to place the injured civilians in their patrol vehicle and transport them to a hospital. Vyhivskyi confirmed that the injuries sustained by the boy, his grandmother, and the wounded officer were not life-threatening.

The incident involved a double-tap strike, a tactic in which a location is attacked again shortly after an initial strike, potentially endangering civilians and emergency personnel responding to the scene.

Earlier, Russian forces launched a double drone strike on a kindergarten in Sumy, killing a security guard and injuring two staff members. The attack involved two Geran-2 drones, Russia’s version of the Iranian-designed Shahed UAV, according to regional officials.

Help us understand what you already know

Join United24 audience survey