4-year-old’s death reflects horror of Russia’s war

KYIV: Iryna Dmytriyeva posted a video early Thursday of her 4-year-old daughter, Liza, wearing green sneakers and happily pushing a pink stroller, as they walked in the Ukrainian town of Vinnytsia. Soon afterward, Russian missiles struck.
Ukraine officials confirmed on Friday that Liza was among 23 people killed in a Russian strike on Thursday that left her mother in critical condition, as social media images of their lives and her final moments captured global attention.
Dmytriyeva and her daughter had an appointment that morning with a speech therapist who had taught Liza, who had Down syndrome, how to pronounce her first words. Soon after Dmytriyeva posted the video on Instagram, a volley of Russian missiles struck the heart of the city, hitting a mall, a dance studio and a centre for children with neurological disabilities. Photos shared online by Ukraine’s state emergency service appeared to show Liza’s lifeless body next to the overturned stroller, which was spattered with blood. Always smiling, Liza had earned the nickname “Sunny Flower” at the centre, her therapist said.
“When I saw those shoes. . . I knew it was our Liza,” she added. Images of the sneakers and strollerwere held up by Ukraine’s leaders as an example of Russia’s disregard for civilian lives. “The child was four years old!” President Volodymyr Zelensky said, accusing Russia of alitany of atrocities.