A resident of Ternopil region, suspected of murdering her minor son with a disability, has been taken into custody.
The war in Ukraine takes children’s lives every day. Deaths during rocket attacks, mines, injuries — all this has long become part of the terrible reality for thousands of families. The grief of parents who lose their children to hostilities cannot be measured or described. Each murdered child is a stopped heart not only of a small person, but also of an entire family, community, and society. But at the same time, even in this reality, cases are recorded when children die not from external circumstances, but in the family – due to the actions of the parents themselves. One such example is the event that took place in the city of Chortkiv in the Ternopil region.
In the city of Chortkiv, in the Ternopil region, a 31-year-old local woman is suspected of murdering her own 4-year-old son, who had a disability of the first group. By information Ternopil regional prosecutor’s office, on May 6, 2025, the woman was officially informed of the suspicion for p. 2 hours 2 Art. 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — deliberate killing of a minor child. On the same day, the Chortkiv District Court decided to take the suspect into custody without the right to bail.
As reported, the boy had severe pathologies from birth and needed constant care. Despite this, the woman left the child unattended for several days. According to the investigation, it was this period that became fatal. The examination indicated that the child’s death was caused by mechanical asphyxiation, that is, the closing of the respiratory tract due to the overlap of the nose and mouth. It is on this basis that the law enforcement officers suspect the mother that her deliberate act of violence was the cause of death.
In addition to the main suspicion of murder, another aspect of the case is being considered: the prosecutor’s office additionally charges the mother with malicious failure to fulfill her duties to care for the child, which caused serious consequences (Article 166 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). This means that even without proving the intent to kill, the very behavior of the woman — leaving the child in danger, ignoring the state of health, lack of supervision — is already criminally punishable and is assessed as actions that directly led to death.
Legally, the case is considered in two directions. The first is the intentional killing of a minor, which is punishable by ten to fifteen years of imprisonment or life imprisonment. The second is improper performance of parental duties, which in itself is punishable by imprisonment for a term of two to five years. In the case of proving both episodes and their totality, the accused may receive the most severe punishment provided by Ukrainian legislation.
But behind the dry articles of the Criminal Code, there is child death, which cannot be justified by anything. Neither everyday difficulties, nor fatigue, nor lack of support. A four-year-old boy, a sick and vulnerable child, found himself in complete isolation for several days – without supervision, without food, without the possibility to ask for help. At such an age and with such a state of health, it is equal to a direct threat to life. And when death becomes a reality, the question of intention arises with all the severity: to leave a child in such conditions means to understand that he may die. And let it happen.
In such cases, questions arise: where does the cruelty of such mothers come from? How could a person who gave birth to a child and was responsible for its life commit actions that lead to death? Legally, the investigation must find out the motive: whether it is about intent, indifference, disruption of the psycho-emotional state, systemic irresponsibility or another reason that does not remove guilt, but affects its qualification. From a moral point of view, society is rarely ready to consider such actions beyond condemnation. But a professional approach requires taking into account the entire spectrum of factors: social environment, level of support, presence of chronic fatigue, depressive state, possible psychological maladjustment.
In the specific case of Chortkov, we are dealing with a mother who raised a child with a disability. This is a constant need for care, regular anxiety about the state of health, significant physical and emotional stress. The question of whether she received adequate help from social services, whether there was support in the family, whether she was registered as needing psychological or medical help, remains open at this time.
But even under difficult life circumstances, leaving a child unattended for several days, at the age of 4, in a state of physical vulnerability, is a direct violation of parental care obligations. It is not explained by emotions or fatigue. That is precisely why the criminal proceedings cover not only the article on intentional murder, but also a separate qualification – malicious failure to fulfill parental duties, which is a crime in itself, regardless of the subsequent consequences.
Ukrainian society, which now lives in conditions of daily anxiety, losses and stress, is increasingly faced with such tragedies as symptoms of a deeper disorder – emotional, mental, social. But whatever the reasons, there is a line beyond which crime begins. And the most terrible thing is that this is a mother’s crime against her own child.
