New Delhi: As the Russian troops bombarded Ukraine, pictures of a Ukrainian teacher soaked in blood after surviving a missile attack have gone viral.
Olena Kurilo believes she is “very lucky” to be alive after the Russian forces attack, reported the Independent.
The 52-year-old said that she must have a “guardian angel”, who is protecting her.
“Never thought that this would truly happen in my lifetime,” said Kurilo speaking outside her smashed home after visiting the hospital.
“I myself am a director, an educator, we studied the history, but we never thought that this would happen on our land,” she added.
The attacks have, however, not scared Kurilo.
“I will do everything for Ukraine, as much as I can, with as much energy as I have. I will always be on my motherland's side,” she said.
The picture captured by Getty Images shows Kurilo heavily bandaged over her face and head.
As per the Independent, this is one of the most striking pictures from the conflict so far.
Kurilo’s house in Ukraine’s second biggest city Kharkiv has been “completely destroyed” by the shelling and her injuries are from shards of glass that were blasted into her face when the missile struck.
This comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that his country’s troops will enter Ukraine, calling it a “special military operation”.
An estimated 100,000 Ukrainians had fled their homes and that several thousand crossed into neighbouring countries, mainly Romania and Moldova, according to the UN refugee agency.