Roman Oleksiv's Story of Survival

Roman Oleksiv, 11, was injured in a hospital strike, causing burns on nearly half his body. His mother, Halyna, was killed in 2022 in Vinnytsya, southwest of Kyiv.
An interpreter in Brussels struggled to translate 11-year-old Roman Oleksiv's testimony at the European Parliament. A man off-screen offered to help translate, saying 'I will help you, no worries,' and nodded for him to continue.
Roman Oleksiv's story inspired a film shown to Pope Francis, leading to three meetings with the pope through Alliance Unbroken Kids and featured in Romchyk, a short film by Goldsmiths University students.
Russian forces targeted orphanages, taking at least 20,000 children abroad with only 300 returned during the conflict.

Conflict | Film | Child

Ukraine | Russia

Pope Francis | Roman Oleksiv | Halyna

1 month ago