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Transcript/ScriptUSAGM Share
((PLAYBOOK SLUG: TV Ukraine Bucha Survivors – Moskalkov
HEADLINE: Photo of Boy Becomes Symbol of Russian Aggression in Ukraine
TEASER: The famous image shows Vlad, 6, standing next to his mother's makeshift grave in the hard-hit city of Bucha
PUBLISHED AT: 07/08/2022 AT 9:20am
BYLINE: Maxim Moskalkov
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Washington and Kyiv
SCRIPT EDITORS: Reifenrath,
VIDEOGRAPHER: Boris Sachalko, Serhiy Dikun
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA news, Courtesies TBD
PLATFORMS: TV only
TRT: 3:20
VID APPROVED BY: Reifenrath
TYPE: TVPKG
UPDATE:
EDITORS NOTE: [[Service does not have last name for children—Amy]]
((INTRO: ))
[[A photo of 6-year-old Vlad standing near the grave of his mother in the yard of his house in Bucha, Ukraine, shocked the world. Bucha witnessed some of the ghastliest scenes of Russian aggression. Vlad’s mother, Marina Naumetz, died when the family was forced to shelter in the basement during the Russian occupation. Maxim Moskalkov has the story.]]
((NARRATION))
((Mandatory courtesy: AbdRodrigo + Instagram Logo))
This photo of a boy standing at his mother’s grave in Bucha has been shared around the world, a symbol of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.
((End courtesy))
((Mandatory courtesy: Ivan Drahun))
Young Vlad’s mother, Marina Naumetz, was a childcare provider. When the war started, the family hid in the
((End courtesy))
basement of their Bucha apartment complex.
((Ivan Drahun, Vlad’s Father)) ((IN RUSSIAN))
“This is Marina and me, at a park…”
((NARRATION))
Marina’s husband, Ivan Drahun, recalls how the family rarely left the basement.
((Ivan Drahun, Vlad’s Father)) ((IN RUSSIAN))
“It was hard because it was freezing cold; it was hard to breathe there. So, you’re sitting there, in the dark. You can’t go outside; you have a bucket for a bathroom.”
((NARRATION))
Drahun says the shelling was hard on his wife. One night, she went to sleep and never woke up.
((Ivan Drahun, Vlad’s Father)) ((IN RUSSIAN))
“Marina was always stressed out. She could feel her heart flutter every now and then. // She had headaches; she would take heart medication a lot.”
((NARRATION))
Neighbors helped Drahun bury his wife in the yard. The coffin was made from an old wardrobe.
Marina had two other children, 13-year-old Sophia and 10-year-old Vladimir,
((Mandatory courtesy: Ivan Drahun))
from her first marriage.
((End courtesy))
((Ivan Drahun, Vlad’s Father)) ((IN RUSSIAN))
“Vladimir and Sophia understood, but Vlad didn’t. We would tell him that mom went away to earn money. But then, slowly, he realized what had happened. It was night, and he woke me up and asked, ‘Dad, did mama die?’ What could I do? I said, ‘Yes, son, mama died. But she’s with us, she sees us, she protects us.’”
((NARRATION))
A week after Marina’s death, Bucha was liberated. Drahun exhumed Marina’s body for the forensic exam and then reburied her at the cemetery. The examiner said she died from cardiac distress.
Drahun wanted to leave the place that reminded him of his wife’s death, but the family didn't have enough money to move.
Help came from across the world. An Odesa native living in Virginia, entrepreneur Igor Kyrylenko saw Vlad’s picture and wanted to help.
((Igor Kyrylenko, Entrepreneur)) ((IN RUSSIAN))
“When I saw that picture of Vlad standing at his mother’s grave… He looked so sad, and I couldn’t do nothing. Vlad reminded me of my son who’s also six… I decided to get in touch with the family.”
((NARRATION))
Kyrylenko and Drahun became friends. Kyrylenko started a GoFundMe account for Drahun that has already raised over $8,000
((Ivan Drahun, Vlad’s Father)) ((IN RUSSIAN))
“He’s a very good man. I am extremely grateful to him.”
((NARRATION))
Today, the family is staying at a boarding house outside Kyiv and are planning to move. One option is Portugal.
Friends of the Associated Press photographer Rodrigo Abd, who took the famous shot of Vlad, have offered help.
Meanwhile, despite all the horrors and the loss of his mother, Vlad has been spending his summer biking - as children should.
((Maxim Moskalkov, VOA News, Kyiv, Ukraine, and Washington))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateJuly 8, 2022 09:25 EDT
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
