Ukrainian mother, 28, dies after shielding her two sons as shrapnel from a Russian missile hurtled towards them

By TARYN KAUR PEDLER, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 11:03, 14 June 2026 | Updated: 11:18, 14 June 2026  A young Ukrainian mother died after shielding her two sons from falling shrapnel as Russian missiles hurtled towards their Kyiv home. Veronika Chuyan, 28, died just yards from safety after a missile hit a residential district of the Ukrainian capital during a wave of intensified Russian attacks. Her three-year-old son Jacob suffered serious injuries to his arm and has since undergone five operations, while his elder brother Jasim, five, survived the strike.  Veronika's mother, who was also caught up in the attack, lost a leg and remains in hospital in an unstable condition. The missile strike killed six people and injured almost 20 others. According to witnesses, an initial missile landed near the family's apartment block, shaking buildings and ripping apart a playground in the courtyard below.  Seeing another residential building engulfed in flames, Veronika gathered her sons and fled. Having experienced years of Russian bombardment, she feared a so-called 'double tap' strike, in which a second missile follows shortly after the first. Veronika Chuyan, 28, died just yards from safety after a missile hit a residential district of the Ukrainian capital during a wave of intensified Russian attacks According to witnesses, an initial missile landed near the family's apartment block, shaking buildings and ripping apart a playground in the courtyard below The family climbed over damaged furniture and debris inside their apartment building before joining other residents evacuating via the stairwell. As they emerged outside, neighbours headed in one direction while Veronika turned towards an underground car park being used as a shelter. It was then that the second missile struck. Witnesses described an explosion so powerful it felt as though the ground had split apart. The blast tore through nearby residential buildings and scattered debris across the area. Passers-by carried Jacob and Jasmin into the shelter. Veronika's body was later found beside a traffic barrier only metres from the underground car park. Jacob's relatives have not yet told him that his mother died in the attack. 'The children were everything to her,' says Mykyta, Veronika's cousin. 'She would have done anything for them.' The strike came amid a recent escalation in Russian attacks on Kyiv.  Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to intensify operations against the Ukrainian capital as Moscow's military campaign faces continued resistance on the battlefield. Recent assaults have involved large-scale missile barrages launched in rapid succession, apparently designed to stretch Ukraine's air defence capabilities. According to Ukrainian officials, civilian casualties have continued to mount. Last month saw the highest number of civilian casualties in 10 months, while this year's death toll has surpassed the pace recorded over the same period in 2025. Veronika worked as a manicurist and had battled chronic illness for much of her adult life. Friends and relatives said she had always wanted children and was devoted to raising her two sons as a single mother.  Her aunt said Veronkia had been making plans for the boys' future, including enrolling her eldest son in dance classes and arranging extracurricular activities and English lessons. Among those who responded to the aftermath of the attack was a Scottish combat medic known by the call sign Scotty. After learning of the strike, he drove to the scene near the Dorohozhychi metro station to assist the wounded, arriving with another medic before ambulances reached the area. An explosion lights up the sky over the city during a Russian missile and drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 2, 2026 Inside the shelter, 34-year-old Anya Zabolotna helped care for survivors as injured civilians streamed in. Unable to locate Jacob's parents, she picked up the toddler and comforted him before realising that both she and the child were covered in blood. Jacob had sustained severe injuries to his arm.   'There's an inner voice going, panic, scream, run away,' the Scot recalled seeing the toddler's injuries. 'But you have to default back to your training. Don't think, just do.' While Scotty treated the wound, Anya attempted to distract Jacob from the pain. The child repeatedly asked where his mother and grandmother were, describing the explosion in simple terms as a 'boom' and a 'bang'. Scotty is believed to have saved three lives during the response, including Jacob's. After ambulances transported the injured to the hospital, he remained in his car for almost an hour as the emotional toll of the night's events caught up with him. Jacob was later admitted to a children's hospital in Kyiv, where he has since undergone five operations to save his arm. More than 100 mourners attended Veronika's funeral in her home city of Zhytomyr on Friday, including family members, friends, former colleagues and clients. The officiant told those gathered that Veronika had spent her final moments trying to protect her children from the missile strike. It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took to X on Sunday, writing: 'Russia is carrying out hundreds of strikes against Ukrainian cities and communities, attacking our civilian infrastructure every day.  'This past week alone, the Russians have launched 1,920 attack drones, 1,790 guided aerial bombs, and 17 missiles of various types against Ukraine.  'We need to step up our countermeasures against these attacks. We are preparing for meetings with partners to strengthen our defense against this Russian terror.  'The G7, EU, and NATO summits are ahead. And it is very important that these negotiations result in concrete decisions. We expect meaningful meetings with our partners.  'First and foremost, we need support for air defense and our long-range capabilities, an expansion of cooperation in the Drone Deals format, and further strengthening of sanctions pressure on Russia.  'We must end this war in a dignified way and with guaranteed security. And it is through strength, the unity of partners, and pressure on Russia that this can be achieved in a lasting way. I thank everyone who is helping us!' The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. 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