«A drone hit our house». How a family from Halytsynove survived the Russian shelling
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- Darina MelnychukCorrespondent
A house damaged by Russian shelling in the Halytsynove community. Photo: NikVestiOn 22 August, Russian forces attacked the Halytsynove community with drones. One of the «Molniia» drones struck the home of 38-year-old Svitlana Huk. The strike caused significant damage to the house, and the woman was injured. A dog and a kitten were also killed during the attack.
This was reported by NikVesti.
According to Svitlana Huk, the attack took place at around 5.30 pm. At that moment, she was near the house — cooking in the summer kitchen — whilst her daughter was inside the house.
«I was standing near the house. We have an outdoor kitchen, and I was cooking there. I heard this «Molniia» drone flying overhead. There’s a huge cherry tree growing in front of my house, and I couldn’t see it because of the tree. When the drone flew past the cherry tree, I saw that it had already passed me, reached the next street, turned round and started flying straight towards my house. I ran to the door, opened it, rushed into the house and shouted to my child: «Get down!» It’s a good thing she wasn’t in the farthest room, which is exactly where it hit,» the woman recalls.
She added that the drone struck the house immediately after she had rushed inside.
«I’d only just rushed home, shouted to my child and lay down — that’s when the drone struck the house. It flew in from above, between the roof and the door,» said Svitlana Huk.
As a result of the impact, the house was left without a front door and five windows. The internal doors, the threshold and part of the roof were also damaged. The house currently has no electricity supply, as repair work must first be carried out to make the premises safe from the risk of electric shock.
«Metal on the roof was twisted above the house; it knocked out all the bricks and the door lintel. Then, opposite the house, we have a garage. In the garage, too, the door was knocked out and the slate on the roof was damaged — it’s come loose, and there are holes in it. There’s also a summer kitchen where my parents live. It had old wooden windows — they were blown out along with their frames. The steel door was also completely twisted and turned inside out; it’s now unusable,» said the woman.
A house damaged by Russian shelling in the Halytsynove community. Photo: NikVesti
A house damaged by Russian shelling in the Halytsynove community. Photo: NikVestiDuring the attack, Svitlana Huk sustained a neck injury from shrapnel and cut her legs on glass. Her daughter was unharmed but was very frightened. The woman also said that her dog and a kitten, which was about four months old, were killed in the explosion.
«I was slightly injured; a piece of shrapnel cut my neck a little. My legs were cut by glass as we were getting out. My child, of course, was terrified and screaming. My head was still ringing a bit from the powerful explosion. The dog was killed right by the doorstep. She was probably running after me. She was hiding, but she was hit by debris and stones. A four-month-old kitten was also lying near the house. Its tail had been torn off and it was badly burnt all over,» said Svitlana Huk.
Svitlana Huk with her daughter by the damaged house. Photo: NikVestiSince the start of the full-scale invasion, the woman has been helping animals left behind by their owners after they fled the community. Together with her mother, they feed and care for the abandoned cats and dogs.
«I now have 13 cats and five dogs left. Before that, there were 14 cats and six dogs. My first cat turned up after the neighbours left. Then she had kittens. Someone also left two kittens in the bushes for my mum, and she took them in. My mum also has six pets, and she feeds others — three dogs belonging to people who have left, and two more dogs whose owner has passed away,» says Svitlana Huk.
There were also pets in other rooms of the house. A large aquarium sustained minor damage from debris. The rabbit and parrots, which were further away from the impact site, were unharmed.
The site where the animals killed during the shelling of the community were buried. Photo: NikVestiSvitlana Huk recalls that after the liberation of Kherson, things became calmer in the community, but recently the situation has escalated again due to drone attacks.
«Even this morning there was a loud explosion at around 5.30 am. It seems a drone was shot down. When we hear one flying overhead, we try to take cover. And yesterday, an FPV drone flew right up to our shop,» said Svitlana Huk.
According to Svitlana Huk, there is a shelter in the local school. Residents who live closer to it can get there more quickly, whilst others have to take cover at home during attacks.
As a reminder, yesterday, 25 August, the Russians attacked the Mykolaiv region with strike drones and a missile. A transport infrastructure facility in Mykolaiv was hit.
