The photo of the bloodied face of Chuguev choreography teacher Olena Kurilo was taken on the first day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, February 24, 2022. There was an airport in the Kharkiv region, which most likely became a target for the Russian military. Instead, a rocket fired by the Russians hit the house where a 52-year-old teacher lived.
The woman was injured by shards of glass. She underwent several operations, including on her eyes, in Poland. Nine months after the war, her first meeting with the author of the photo took place, reports rmf24.pl. This is Wolfgang Schwan from the Turkish news agency Anadolu.
“I just had time to think: God, I’m not ready to die“, Olena recalls today.
According to her, Schwan met her in front of the building when they put a bandage on her face. The photo became one of the first military photos published in the world and changed Elena’s life.
“I needed an operation, but the hospital in Ukraine could not help me, — she recalls. — Thanks to the British journalists, I reached Poland, where I was operated on three times. Now I have a new operation in London. There is a 50 percent chance of sight recovery..
The woman says that even before the war, she understood that Vladimir Putin was not joking about Ukraine, but she would never have thought that he would attack the country. Elena also told how she became the object of Russian propaganda. Russian television claims that her photo is a hoax, that she is an actress herself, and that the photo was taken five years ago.
“At first I was shocked, then I just laughedshe says.
Today, she participates in a campaign to collect aid for Ukraine. The 52-year-old woman lost friends in her hometown who went over to the side of the racists.
We will remind you that the legendary intelligence officer Pavel “Volat” helps to liberate Ukraine from the racists.
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