Childhood during the war for many Ukrainian children is spent in circumstances where ordinary life is destroyed by air raids, strikes on residential buildings, injuries, evacuations and long treatment after the experience. What was recently a space of safety – a house, a yard, a private room – can turn into a place of tragedy in a matter of minutes, where salvation depends on the speed of rescuers, the coordination of doctors and the endurance of the child herself. One such story happened in Zaporizhia, where after a Russian drone strike, 15-year-old Kristina found herself under the rubble of a house, survived and later met for the first time the rescuer who helped save her.
How a girl was rescued from the rubble in Zaporizhia
After a Russian drone strike on March 16 in Zaporizhia, 15-year-old Kristina found herself under the rubble of her own house. The girl survived because part of the impact and the weight of the destroyed structures were taken by the cabinets, which effectively protected her from fatal injuries and left her a chance to wait for help.
Deputy Chief of the 4th State Fire and Rescue Unit Vadym Popsuy spoke about the course of the rescue operation during a briefing at the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Zaporizhia Oblast. According to him, the report of the destroyed house and fire was received at around 10:05, but at first it was unknown whether there were people under the rubble.
At the scene, rescuers saw a completely destroyed yard, a fire, and people in a state of panic, from whom they heard that there were victims under the rubble. Due to this situation, work had to begin immediately in two directions: one part of the team contained the fire, the other dismantled the rubble, trying to reach those who could survive under the rubble.
The situation was sharply complicated by thick smoke, which quickly filled the space and worsened the conditions for the search. In such circumstances, any sound mattered, so the rescuers listened to every rustle, trying to determine whether anyone was alive under the rubble of the destroyed house.
While dismantling the rubble, the rescuers heard the voice of a girl, and then it became clear that there was a living person under the rubble. From that moment on, the work required even greater precision, as any sudden movement, strong jet of water, or mistake during extinguishing could worsen her condition.
According to Vadim Popsuy, the rescuers had to constantly balance fighting the fire and trying to reach the victim without additional risk to her life. In the end, they were able to get to Kristina, free her face, and provide air access, which was crucial in that situation.
While the rescue operation was ongoing, the State Emergency Service workers constantly talked to the girl, explained what they were doing, reassured her, and asked her not to panic. At such moments, the words of a rescuer for a child trapped under the rubble become a support that helps her hold on and not lose strength until the moment of liberation.
Vadim Popsuy said that he told Kristina that she would be pulled out, and she believed it. Later, the girl admitted that she didn’t remember much, but she remembered these words well — not to be afraid and wait for help, because they remained for her the clearest memory from the time when there was smoke, debris and the unknown around.
After Kristina was pulled out of the rubble, she was handed over to the doctors. The girl received injuries of varying severity and spent some time in intensive care, where doctors stabilized her condition and provided the necessary assistance.
According to the doctors, Kristina has already undergone two operations, her condition is stable, and the girl is being prepared for discharge in the near future. Such dynamics became an important part of this story, because after the moment of rescue, another, no less difficult stage began for the child — recovery from the shock she experienced and treatment of the consequences of injuries.
First meeting after rescue
After the briefing, the rescuer visited Kristina in the hospital. This visit was their first meeting after the rescue, because during the operation there was only voice contact between them through the rubble. In the ward, the girl thanked him for saving her life, and he thanked her for her endurance and for helping her navigate during the rescue operations, reporting where she was and what she was feeling.
This meeting combined two parts of one story: tense hours under the rubble, where every phrase could support the child, and a calm conversation in the hospital, where it was now possible to see the person whose voice had previously been the only thread between fear and rescue.
The girl’s mother recalls that she learned about the impact by phone and almost does not remember how she got home. For the family, these minutes passed in a state of shock, where the main question was whether the child was alive after the impact on the house.
The woman was told the most important thing on the spot: her daughter survived. Later, the family thanked the rescuers and doctors who first pulled Kristina out of the rubble, and then provided treatment, without which her rescue would not have continued.
After two operations and treatment in the trauma department, the girl is being prepared for discharge, and the story of the rescue itself remains a testament to what Ukrainian children go through during the war, even in their own homes.
