Ukraine Faces Heavy Losses in Counteroffensive, Fueling Grief and Sorrow
Kharkiv, Ukraine – In a heart-wrenching scene that has sadly become all too familiar, the young sons of Yevgeny Hutnik laid their father to rest in Kharkiv on Sunday, a painful reminder of the heavy toll that the ongoing conflict with Russian forces in the eastern Donetsk region has taken on Ukrainian families.
As Hutnik’s casket was lowered into the sacred ground alongside other fallen soldiers, it was a somber moment that highlighted the ever-growing section of the cemetery reserved for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. The gravity of the situation was evident during the short time that CBS News spent at the cemetery, witnessing two additional bodies being laid to rest, an unfortunately regular occurrence.
While Ukraine does not release official figures on its losses in the war against Russia, there is a noticeable surge in casualties since the start of their counteroffensive three months ago. It is a grim reality that families like Oksana’s must grapple with. Oksana, whose husband Pavlo lost his life in an airstrike, shared her anguish, stating, “It is difficult to accept that he is gone. It is only when I am here that the reality sinks in. I feel as if he is still alive, somewhere on a mission.”
Oksana and Pavlo, married for five years, had made a pact that if Pavlo died in combat, Oksana would step in and continue the fight. True to her word, she now serves in Bakhmut as part of an aerial reconnaissance team. At the forefront of the conflict, there is a mortuary where the bodies of unidentified soldiers are brought directly from the battlefield. Margot, a staff member there, plays a crucial role in documenting their details and helping identify the fallen. Tragically, one day, Margot’s own husband was brought to her at the mortuary. “It was the most difficult day of my life,” she recounted.
The constant stream of death that flows through these doors is unrelenting, leaving no doubt in the minds of young children that war is no abstract concept of the past. For them, it is a nightmarish reality unfolding in their own neighborhoods. They bear witness to the harshest effects of warfare, forever shaped by its profound impact.
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