Father Returns To Ukraine To Avenge Son’s Death After He Is Killed During Putin’s Invasion
It's heartbreaking to see the pain in this father's eyes.
Seneline / Shutterstock.com The war in Ukraine continues as Russian forces continue invading their lands and Russian artillery continues to bombard cities with shelling and gunfire.
War is never the answer, and it brings tragedy, deaths, sadness, and loss everywhere it goes.
One Ukrainian father spoke to Vice World News in a TikTok about the losses he’s suffered, and what he plans on doing about that loss to help him cope.
He plans on joining the war against Russia to avenge his son who was killed in Ukraine.
Vice World News (@ViceWorldNews on TikTok) interviewed the man in what appears to be a shelter for Ukrainians, about how the war has “affected” his son.
“The war that I was caught in the middle of. It affected my son,” he said.
When the reporter asked him what exactly he meant, he responded “He was killed.”
She continues to ask about his son: where he was killed and how old he was.
The Ukrainian man’s son was killed in Kharkiv and was 23 years old. “Just 23,” he repeated.
This war is being fought by boys — young men in their early or late twenties who have just started their adult lives.
You can see the Russian prisoners of war in viral videos and tell that a lot of the Russian soldiers are simply young men who are scared but were sent to fight someone else’s war — but to this Ukrainian father, it doesn’t matter.
You can see a stone-cold look in the man’s eyes as you can see how much he has suffered from the loss of his son.
“Last time I saw that look was in '06 when I was deployed in Iraq,” wrote someone online. “Like the lights are on but no one is home.”
The Ukrainian man has experienced a father's worst nightmare.
“You see, I am overwhelmed with feelings,” he said. “My son told me ‘Dad it’s bad, it’s very bad.’ But we are holding on. It’s okay.”
Ukrainians have lost thousands of troops and hundreds of civilians, not to mention the number of homes, buildings, and cities that have been destroyed and remain war-torn.
As Russia continues to get squeezed and Ukrainians fight back and maintain their defensive stance, there’s no telling how much longer the invasion can last.
However, this Ukrainian father has a message for the young Russian men who are being sent into Ukraine to fight Putin’s war.
“[Russian Soldiers] boys, don’t come here. You will die,” he said. “You killed my son, I will kill your son. And this b******* won’t stop, you understand? Don’t come here at all, okay.”
His words are heartbreaking and people online fear for the lives of those he’s promising to take.
“Never underestimate a man who has nothing left to lose,” reads one of the comments on the TikTok.
“[That’s] a face that tells you he will avenge his son. But regrets having to take lives to do it,” writes someone else. “The amount of pain in his eyes is almost overwhelming.”
Diplomatic talks have failed so far and ceasefires continue to be broken as Russia turns away from international law.
Any amount of suffering is too much, and the Ukrainians have seen enough to last a lifetime, but unfortunately, Putin’s war and the Russian invasion continue.
Isaac Serna-Diez is a writer who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics. Follow him on Twitter here.