As the Russian onslaught intensifies in Ukraine, the number of civilian casualties in the war-torn country sadly keeps on increasing. Fortunately for Tetyana Vlasenko and her family, they avoided joining that list despite being shot at by Russian troops at a checkpoint near Kyiv.
Tetyana, 42, told NBC News of their miraculous escape while recovering from her bed in Kyiv City Hospital 17. According to Tetyana, she and her family decided to leave the community just outside the capital city of Kyiv after their house in the village of Vorzel was struck on March 2 by Russian forces.
It was a heartbreaking decision for the Vlasenko family to flee, but this move is nothing new for them. According to Tetyana's husband, Roman, the family had already fled from Kremlin rule before, departing Crimea in 2014 after Russia annexed the peninsula.
Russian troops open fire on the Vlasenko family
Roman, a former business consultant, said he asked the Russian soldiers whether they could keep moving as they drove up to the checkpoint at the end of their street. According to Tetyana, the soldiers asked her husband what his nationality was as they were surprised with how well he spoke Russian.
Roman responded, "We have a free country here; everyone speaks whichever language they like." Tetyana did not mince any words, telling the Russian troops, "Your brains are full of Putin propaganda crap. There are no Nazis here."
The Russian soldiers waved them through, but they were subjected to intense firing before they could get 40 feet past the checkpoint. Tetyana said she was "naive" when the Russian forces started peppering their vehicle with bullets. Tetyana showed them their documents and said there were kids in the car.
It was carnage inside the vehicle. Tetyana heard her daughter Katherina screaming after a bullet came through her knee and her bone. The teenager recalled that part, saying, "After this I lost consciousness."
Tetyana recalled that Roman lost it when he saw his daughter lose consciousness, thinking the Russian soldiers killed their child. Their youngest son Igor was the only one who was not injured, with the eight-year-old getting protection from his older sister inside the car.
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Russian soldiers believe everyone around Ukraine is a Nazi
Roman was also hit in his legs, but his wife Tetyana suffered the most damage. She bled from 12 bullet wounds to her legs after the soldiers opened fire. According to Tetyana, the Russian troops opened fire because of their paranoia that Nazis in Ukraine were there to hurt them.
A soldier told the injured Tetyana that he was sorry for hurting them, but they had an order to shoot everything moving. The soldier then told Tetyana that there are many cars like this that are full of Nazis who are trying to bomb them.
Those comments by the officer are chilling as they echoed President Vladimir Putin's false accusations of Nazi elements staying in Ukraine. Tetyana said all Russian soldiers genuinely believed that everyone in Ukraine were Nazis, a worrying development in this unending war.
