Heartbreaking video shows the moment a Ukrainian family, including two dogs, was mowed down by Russian troops — with the son heard crying, “Dad, please don’t die, I’m begging you!”
The distressing clip, filmed by the son, shows the bloody aftermath of Russian soldiers gunning down the man in his Mercedes minivan, as well as one of his three dogs, on Feb. 25.
The footage was initially shared by Ukraine’s armed forces on Monday but it wasn’t clear who the men were.
The slain father has been identified as Oleh Bulavenko, who had returned to his home to rescue his beloved pets, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Ukrainian father Oleh Bulavenko had returned home to rescue his pets when Russian forces killed him and one of his dogs.RadioFreeEurope
Oleh Bulavenko’s son can be heard on the video crying, “Dad, please don’t die.”RadioFreeEurope
A surviving dog refused to leave his owner’s body after the shooting, which took place as he and his son were evacuating from the town of Ivankiv near the capital, Kyiv, the news outlet reported.
When the two men came under attack, the son, who has not been identified, was heard shouting, “Get out and lie down,” according to an English translation of the horrifying clip from RFE.
The dogs can be heard barking and whimpering in the background.
The son managed to take cover during the harrowing attack, but his dad was cut down with one of their three dogs.
“Dad! Dad! Are you still there?” the son yells before running to the badly wounded man’s side to pull him away.
“My foot is torn off,” Bulavenko groans as he is seen splayed out on the road.
The dogs can be heard barking and whimpering in the background of the tragic video.RadioFreeEurope
“Dad, please don’t die, I’m begging you!” his son says in the heart-wrenching footage.
Bulavenko later succumbed to his injuries.
A second clip was shared online this week with a caption saying that it showed “Russian soldiers have killed Ukrainian civilians and nearly all of their dogs.”
Another man also was seen lying prone on the side of the road.
The footage came amid heartbreaking scenes of Ukrainians hugging their animals as they try to take them with them as they flee the war — but not always successfully.
