Ukraine claims entire family killed by Russian airstrike, with only man and his cat surviving

A Ukrainian man and his cat were the lone survivors of a Russian air strike in the village of Marhalivka that killed the rest of his family and reduced his house to rubble, according to officials.

The man, whose name was not shared, had reportedly fled Kyiv and come to the village seeking shelter, Ukraine’s foreign affairs ministry said in a post online on Thursday.

A picture shared by the ministry showed the grieving man, covered in plaster and holding on to his pet, the debris of multiple collapsed homes after an apparent airstrike seen behind him.

Another photo showed him standing near a pile of rubble as six other people sift through the ruins. The house the man was reportedly taking shelter in had a dozen people inside when the strike occurred, according to the ministry.

The man lost his wife, daughter, two nieces and a sister, according to the ministry.

Ukraine’s government also said he lost two of his grandchildren, although there have been conflicting reports about their condition with some suggesting they may have survived.

“This man and his family left Kyiv to be safe. The rocket hit his house, there were 12 people: children (two grandchildren and two nieces), wife, daughter, sister... Only he and his cat survived,” the ministry said in a tweet.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly urged Nato to impose a no-fly zone over the war-torn country to stop the constant shelling suffered by civilians.

After Nato refused, saying that doing so would be interpreted as an act of war by Russia, Mr Zelensky said the military alliance had given a “green light to the further bombardment of Ukrainian towns and villages”.

Reiterating his appeal over the weekend, Mr Zelensky said: “We repeat every day: close the sky over Ukraine. Close for all Russian missiles, for Russian combat aircraft, for all their terrorists.

“If you don’t, if you don’t give us at least planes so we can protect ourselves, there’s only one thing to conclude: you want us to be killed very slowly,” Mr Zelensky said in a video address on Sunday.

Millions of Ukrainians have been rendered refugees as they either continue to evade heavy bombing and shelling across many cities and towns or attempt to flee from the country altogether since the Russian invasion started on 24 February.

The UN has estimated more than 2.5 million people have fled Ukraine, while at least another 2 million have left their homes to take shelter within the country.

The figure will, however, likely increase as the invasion continues and after reports emerged of 200,000 people leaving Ukraine in the past 24 hours alone.

Officials have said that a severe humanitarian crisis is brewing in the country as many run out of essential supplies, including food and medicines.

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