The Ukrainian woman who has become one of the faces of the conflict so far after an image of her bandaged and covered in blood was released has said that she is “lucky to be alive”.
Olena Kurilo, 52, a teacher in Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine, survived a shelling operation by Russian forces early yesterday.
Ms Kurilo, speaking outside her completely destroyed home after visiting hospital, said that she was “very lucky” and thanked a “guardian angel”.
She “never thought that this would truly happen in my lifetime”, she added.
The teacher said: “I will do everything for Ukraine, as much as I can, with as much energy as I have.
“I will always only be on my motherland’s side.”
Ms Kurilo appeared on a number of front pages this morning, as the world wakes up to a second day of conflict in Ukraine.