13-year-old boy helps others escape burning bus after Russian missile strike in Sumy
Фото: Фейсбук / Кордон.Медіа
In Sumy, 13-year-old Kyrylo Iliashenko heroically escaped a burning bus following a Russian missile strike and helped other passengers get out as well.
According to Kordon.Media, Sumy Secondary School No. 4 named after Hero of Ukraine O. Anishchenko, the incident occurred on the morning of April 13, when a Russian missile hit the city, causing a bus to catch fire. The doors were blocked, trapping passengers inside.
Kyrylo and his mother, Maryna, were among those on the bus. The boy managed to climb out through a broken window and then assisted other surviving passengers in escaping the flames.
Acting Mayor of Sumy, Artem Kobzar, reported that Kyrylo sustained injuries—three fragments struck his head. Doctors have already removed one of them, and he remains under medical supervision. His mother suffered cuts to her face from broken glass but was treated and released home. Her injuries do not pose a threat to her health.
Kyrylo is an 8th-grade student at Sumy School No. 4 and also trains in freestyle wrestling at the Fakel Youth Sports School.
13-year-old Kyrylo Iliashenko. Photo: Sumy Secondary School No. 4
According to Sumy Secondary School No. 4, when the explosion occurred, the bus doors were locked. Despite suffering shrapnel wounds to his head, Kyrylo managed to break the glass with a powerful blow, climbed out, and unlocked the front door, enabling other passengers nearby to escape.
Many people were killed or injured instantly in the blast.
As of now, 34 people are confirmed dead, including two children. Among the victims, an entire family lost their lives in the attack.
The Starosilsky Lyceum shared on Facebook that a missile strike in Sumy claimed the lives of a 6th-grade student, Maksym Martynenko, and his parents.
"The team of teachers, staff, and students of the lyceum deeply mourns the tragic death of 6th-grade student Maksym Martynenko and his parents. Our hearts are broken by today's news," the post stated.
Ballistics strike on Sumy
On the morning of April 13, Kyiv and several regions of Ukraine were put on high alert as Russian troops launched ballistic missiles at the central district of Sumy.
According to the Regional Military Administration, the Russian invaders fired two ballistic missiles at the heart of Sumy. The attack resulted in numerous civilian casualties, with many people killed and wounded to varying degrees.
The strike caused significant damage, destroying buildings at Sumy State University and residential areas. The regional Human Rights Protection Center also found itself at the epicenter of the explosion.
By the evening of April 13, 34 people were confirmed dead from the missile strike, including two children. Another 117 people were injured, 15 of them children.
Among the deceased was Olena Kohut, a teacher at the Bortnianskyi Sumy Professional College of Arts and Culture, a soloist-instrumentalist, concertmaster at the Sumy Regional Philharmonic, and an artist with the orchestra of the Sumy National Academic Theater of Drama and Musical Comedy named after Shchepkin.
Serhiy Kryvosheyenko, the head of the Sumy City Military Administration, confirmed that the mass casualties resulted from a second missile strike on Sumy. It was later revealed that Russia had used a missile with cluster munitions, which exploded over the city, intensifying the devastation.
The attack sparked widespread outrage from the international community. Western leaders condemned the Russian assault on Sumy and expressed condolences to the victims. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking on behalf of the United States, offered "deepest condolences" to those affected by the Russian missile strike.
