The Life of 7-Year-Old Ruslan Samofalov Was Taken by a Russian Shelling in the Village of Rivne, Donetsk Region
On January 6, 2024, the enemy launched a missile strike. Ruslan was killed along with his mother, father, younger sister, grandmother, and cousin.
Ruslan was born in Donetsk region and lived with his parents in Rivne. He loved building sets and could easily assemble complex structures at just four years old. “Ruslanchyk was shy, but clever and curious,” recalls his godmother, Anastasiia Novikova-Mykhailyuk.
In 2020, he became a big brother to little Eva. After the start of the full-scale war, the family moved to Kyiv but would return to visit relatives for the holidays. On January 6, they came to their grandmother’s house with traditional holiday food. As everyone gathered, a missile struck the home. All were killed except for 3-year-old Eva.
Ruslan is survived by his grandmother, aunt, uncles, and other relatives.
At 9:00 a.m. — a nationwide minute of silence. The Donetsk Regional Military Administration and the Memorial platform Killed by Russia remember the Donetsk residents murdered by the Russian Federation.