Mother’s horror as daughter, 14, is ‘decapitated’ by Putin missile shrapnel near playground… as Russia launches new airstrikes on the day Ukrainian children return to school

A grief-stricken Ukrainian mother has told of the moment she discovered her 14-year-old daughter had been killed by a Russian missile as she sat on a park bench in Kharkiv.

The tale of family devastation began when the girl’s father went missing presumed dead in Ukraine‘s embattled Donetsk region and ended with the grisly death of the teenager amid the brutal barrage of Ukraine’s second city on Saturday.

Heart-wrenching footage captured the moment her mother broke down as she sat metres away from her daughter’s ravaged body slumped across the bench.

Separate images appeared to show that the girl’s head had been blown apart by shrapnel, with thick pools of blood spewed across the tarmac below her seat. 

The woman was seen sobbing uncontrollably, her legs twitching as grief overcame her body while police and paramedics covered the teenager’s corpse before it was taken to one of Kharkiv’s many morgues. 

‘She was just 14 years old… she had her whole life ahead of her,’ the mother said, her face distorted with anger and anguish. 

The horrendous scene, captured by onlookers and shared by officials, underscores the latest brutality Ukrainian citizens are suffering at the hands of Russia’s armed forces which continue to conduct ruthless bombing campaigns of major cities as thousands of children prepare for the first day of school. 

Heart-wrenching footage captured the moment her mother broke down as she sat metres away from her daughter’s ravaged body slumped across the bench

An explosion after a Russian missile strike is seen in the sky over the city during a Russian missile attack, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine September 2, 2024

This handout photograph taken and released by the Ukrainian Emergency Service on September 2, 2024 shows rescuers working to extinguish a fire following a missile attack in Kyiv

A sports complex partially destroyed by a Russian missile attack, in Kharkiv, Ukraine on September 01

Students who came to celebrate the beginning of the educational year stand near the damaged sports complex of a university damaged during a Russian missile strike, amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Kyiv, Ukraine, September 2, 2024

A crater from a Russian missile explosion near a sports complex, filled with water due to damage to a water supply pipe, in Kharkiv, Ukraine on September 01

A view from the area aftermath of a Russian missile hit near a shopping center, in Kharkiv, Ukraine on September 01

Ukraine’s capital was battered by missiles and kamikaze drones in the early hours of this morning, with Kyiv’s air defences working fervently to down as many of the projectiles as possible.

Shocking images showed huge fireballs rising from between residential buildings and lighting up the night sky above the capital. 

The air force said it had destroyed 22 out of 35 missiles and 20 out of 23 attack drones across Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Poltava, Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia regions early this morning.

But falling debris from the downed weapons injured at least two people in the capital, sparking fires and damaging homes and infrastructure, officials said.

Air raid alerts went out across Ukraine for nearly two hours before the air force eventually declared the skies clear at 6:30am local time. 

This morning’s attack came exactly a week after Moscow launched more than 200 missiles and drones on Ukraine, killing seven people and striking energy facilities nationwide in what Kyiv called the war’s ‘most massive’ attack.

But Vladimir Putin’s forces continued to wreak havoc across Ukraine throughout last week, killing dozens more people as missiles and drones hit civilian infrastructure. 

Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, suffered the brunt of the devastation with universities, sports complexes, supermarkets and office buildings seen heavily damaged.

Oleh Synehubov, head of the Kharkiv region, confirmed this morning the city had suffered another early morning strike in the Industrialnyi district, where a residential building and several others were set ablaze.

Meanwhile, fresh pictures snapped in Kyiv this morning showed how residential properties had been impacted by the missile strikes, while teenage students were seen gazing in disbelief at gaping holes in the side of their college buildings. 

Ukraine has however struck back at Russia in recent days, forcing Putin’s military and air defences to tackle a major drone assault that targeted several regions as Ukranian forces’ continue their incursion into Kursk.

An explosion after a Russian missile strike is seen in the sky over the city during a Russian missile attack, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine September 2, 2024

Smoke rises in the sky over the city after a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine September 2, 2024

A view from the area aftermath of a Russian missile hit near a shopping center, in Kharkiv, Ukraine on September 01

A sports complex partially destroyed by a Russian missile attack, in Kharkiv, Ukraine on September 01

A man looks at the damaged site of the Russian missile strike on an office building, amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Kyiv, Ukraine September 2, 2024

People look at the damaged site of the Russian missile strike on an office building, amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Kyiv, Ukraine September 2, 2024

Despite the constant threat of Russian bombs and missiles, many students and their families are staying put as they ready for the new school year.  

Kseniia Kucher, 16, today begins a new year of school in Kharkiv.

Most of her classes the past couple of years have been online but she has still been able to attend some courses in person. 

She lives with her mother and younger brother, while her father serves on the front lines. 

Her family has packed its ’emergency bags’ with essential items and documents, but currently has no plans to leave, with Kseniia committed to getting her education in spite of the ongoing attacks. 

‘It’s really hard to go through, especially when the strikes happen at night. You literally wake up from being jolted in bed because of the explosions,’ she told an AP reporter. 

‘And yet, it’s easier because you’re still at home. You’re with your loved ones and not in a foreign environment.

‘I live in the moment and don’t make big plans for the future because, understanding the current situation… I don’t know what will happen in a year.

‘Being a teenager during war is hard,’ she said. ‘You don’t fully understand your emotions, and everything affects you. It’s hard to live with.’