The woman whose bloodied and bandaged face became one of the defining images of the early stages of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine has spoken out.
Olena Kurylo was struck by flying glass when a Russian strike struck her apartment building in Chuguiv, near Kharkiv, Ukraine.
The image of the 52-year-old teacher, bleeding and her face heavily covered, was taken by photographers who rushed to the scene.
It became one of the most known and popularly shared images of the war as it showed the brutality of Vladimir Putin’s invasion as it adorned front pages across the UK and beyond.
Since then, Olena has fled her home country and taken up refuge in Katowice, Poland.
But speaking out today, Olena has recalled the horror she felt at the time and said she looks forward to the day Putin no longer rules in Russia.
She also said she hoped to return home to Ukraine to set up a foundation for her country’s orphans.
Recounting the horror attack, The Evening Standard reported she said: “I was on the sofa when I heard a loud noise and saw the window shatter against the wall. Then the pieces hit me.
“After I got covered in broken glass, there was total silence for, like, 10 seconds. Then I heard the cries of the wounded.
“For a fraction of a second, the thought crossed my mind that I wasn’t ready to die, not right now ... I looked at the photos without interest … but as it turns out, they were the first to become a sort of symbol of the war.”
As a part of the Kremlin's information war, they alleged images of her were fake, forcing the teacher to post a video of herself on Instagram, amassing over two million views.
Following the brutal attack, Olena has had to have four separate surgeries and is missing a piece of her retina and still has a long scar near her temple.
After the picture was taken, a portrait of it by an American artist was auctioned off and she donated the money to pay for equipment for Ukraine’s army.
She added she has done other “projects” to help raise money for the war effort.
But even as she does what she can to support the war effort, she still thinks of a time it may be over.
Speaking of being able to eventually return to Ukraine, she said she would just sit down at home with a cup of tea on the first day, and the second she would go the florist and “get a lot of plants”.
Russia's latest brutal invasion of Ukraine began in the early hours of February 24 last year.
As the one year anniversary approaches there has been a number of warnings that Putin may look to relaunch an offensive, following a massive recruitment drive towards the end of 2022.
