The bombing, the desperate rush to the hospital: this is how little Kirill, 18 months old, died

A snapshot of the war, an icon of the drama of Ukrainian civilians.

These are the shots that portray Marina and Fedor Yatsko, parents of little Kirill, an 18-month-old child who was the victim of the Russian bombings in Mariupol, in the south-east of Ukraine. "And now show these photos to Putin," many write on social networks.

A man, Fedor, running into a hospital with a small bloody bundle in his arms. Behind him, face distorted despair, Marina. Little Kirill is wrapped in a bloody blue cover, as bloody is Marina's shirt. The child was hit by shrapnel from a mortar or artillery shell as he tried to save himself during what was supposed to be a truce for the evacuation of civilians never respected.

Not only that: Mariupol, one of the cities most affected by Russian bombing, is without electricity. Even in the hospital there is no more electricity, visits are made in the light of smartphones. So in the end even the doctors remain powerless, for little Kirill there is nothing more to be done.

The heartbreaking images of desperate young parents, first running in a vain attempt to save their son, then into each other's arms when all is over, were immortalized by Associated Press photographer Evgeniy Maloletka. And they have become in Ukraine and in the international media one of the symbols of the tragic suffering of civilians in the country.

“Marina and Fedor lost their 18-month-old son Kirill. Another family destroyed, another human being torn from life. To destruction and death is added more destruction and more death. Looking at certain images hurts, but turning away is not the answer. This war must be stopped immediately: stop the bombs, it is the most urgent thing now, ”Luigi Di Maio wrote on his Facebook profile.

(Unioneonline / L)