Three tiny graves, a father in front: The devastating loss of a family in Kharkiv Oblast

“Fate has dealt them a heavy hand”

Hryhoriy Shakula was from the village of Skovorodynivka in the Zolochiv territorial community, Kharkiv Oblast. His wife Olha Kryvohub was born in the village of Oleksandrivka in the same community. Both attended school in Skovorodynivka, village head Anatoliy Yelisieiev told hromadske.

Both Hryhoriy and Olha came from large families. Hryhoriy’s family had five children; Olha’s had six.

“Fate has dealt them a heavy hand. This is the fate of two families. And now a third family has been formed… She (Olha — ed.) was married once before, lived in Pishchane settlement. Then she separated from that husband; there was a child in that marriage too. The child was taken from her because of her behavior as she was deprived of parental rights,” Anatoliy Yelisieiev says.

After that, as the village head puts it, the woman “got together” with Hryhoriy. They moved to Sosonivka village in the Novovodolazka community. They lived for two years in the father-in-law’s house. The twins Ivan and Vlad were born there.

When Hryhoriy was in Kharkiv he was conscripted into the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Anatoliy Yelisieiev says. That was in May 2024. He served four months until he stepped on a mine. The fighter lost a leg.

“He received disability status. Hospital, rehabilitation. They fitted him with a prosthesis. He came here to his mother once; I saw him one time. Last spring… They brought him by car, already with the prosthesis, and he was on crutches, still not used to it,” the village head said.

The man was demobilized, and the family continued living in Sosonivka. Hryhoriy was registered in Skovorodynivka, at his parents’ house.

Later the family had a third child, Myroslava. According to Olha’s sister, who told the village head, the couple had only recently officially registered their marriage.

Olha became pregnant again. About two weeks ago, the couple bought a house in Bohodukhiv and moved quickly. They were preparing to hold a housewarming any day, inviting friends, Anatoliy Yelisieiev says.

"The baby is fine"

On February 11, a Russian Geran drone struck the house in Bohodukhiv directly, the Zolochiv village council reported. Only the mother survived; she is now in her 35th week of pregnancy. She was taken to the hospital with injuries and burns. The late Myroslava was one year old, the twin boys Ivanko and Vladik were two each, and Hryhoriy Shakula, the father, was 34.

The Bohodukhiv Central District Hospital told hromadske that relatives had already picked Olha up. Her condition is satisfactory; she does not require hospitalization. The baby is fine.

Olha was picked up from the hospital by Hryhoriy’s brother Ivan, who also served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and was demobilized after being wounded, Anatoliy Yelisieiev says. True, he adds, he has already spoken with him about returning Olha to the hospital because of the advanced stage of pregnancy and the risks of complications.

“The whole family is in despair. Both the mother and the sister cry and grieve. The brother quickly drove there to Bohodukhiv to sort things out on the spot where they lived,” the head of Skovorodynivka village says.

The bodies of the children and Hryhoriy have already been taken from the morgue. The funeral date is not yet known. Plans are in place to bury them at the cemetery in Skovorodynivka, where Hryhoriy’s father is buried.

“We will see if there is enough space: they want to bury the three children separately, so there will be three children’s graves, and the father in front of them. Well, we will look for space so everyone can be placed there,” Anatoliy Yelisieiev added.

Meanwhile, in the Zolochiv community, February 11–13 have been declared days of mourning for the dead. For three days, state flags on administrative buildings, enterprises, and institutions in the community will fly at half-staff with black ribbons. All entertainment and mass events have been canceled.