Russian strike on Kherson playground kills father: Medics struggle to save mother and daughters

On the evening of May 27, Russian forces struck a residential neighborhood in Kherson using a multiple launch rocket system (MLRS). A large family was affected, with the father killed and the mother and children injured, according to Oleksandr Prokudin, Head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration.

Prokudin said that the occupying forces struck a children’s playground in the Shumenskyi district of the city. At the time of the attack, parents with children were present at the site.

“A children’s playground was also hit, leaving a large family affected. The father died at the scene from his injuries. The mother and two young daughters were injured,” the official said.

The family has two other children — an adult daughter and a minor son. They are currently under the care of social services.

Condition of the wounded

A three-year-old girl remains in critical condition. She sustained blast injuries and multiple shrapnel wounds to her head, torso, limbs, and chest. The child was evacuated to Mykolaiv, where she underwent surgery to remove shrapnel from her head. She will be transferred to the Ohmatdyt children's hospital in Kyiv once her condition stabilizes.

Her six-year-old sister sustained blast injuries and shrapnel wounds to her back. She has also undergone surgery and is currently hospitalized in moderate condition.

The girls' 36-year-old mother was also injured. Her condition is reported to be critical. She sustained shrapnel wounds to the limbs and abdomen, a concussion, and blast-related and closed traumatic brain injuries. Doctors are fighting to save her life.