‘GOODBYE, MUM’ Hero Ukrainian boy, 11, leaves interpreter sobbing as he tells how Putin bomb killed mum: ‘The last time I said goodbye’

THIS is the tear-jerking moment a Ukrainian boy’s tragic tale prompts his interpreter to break down.  Roman Oleksiv, 11, was sharing the story of how he lost his mum, Halyna Halina, and was left with life-threatening burns by a Russian hospital bombing during a speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

While recounting the horrific day, Roman’s interpreter choked up and was unable to continue as the boy describes the last time he saw his mum.

Roman, who was seven, described how they were visiting a hospital in Vinnytsia, Ukraine when three of Vladimir Putin‘s rockets struck the building.

It killed 24 people including Halyna and injured at least 202 others.  This is the last time I saw my mum,” he said.  “It’s also the last time I could say goodbye.”

The words overwhelmed his interpreter, and a colleague had to step in to convey them for her.  After the translator was able to gather herself, the boy continued his devastating tale.

“I saw her under the debris and I could see her hair.  “I was able to touch her hair and I could say goodbye to her.”

Roman recounted how he was able to crawl to safety and spent more than 100 days in a coma, undergoing 35 complicated surgeries to repair his catastrophic wounds.

He finished powerfully: “I want to tell you that when we’re together, we’re strong and you have to never, ever give up.  “We have to continue helping Ukrainian children.”

The 11-year-old’s speech came during a presentation of a documentary about Ukrainian children.  His recovery from his injuries was the subject of a documentary called Romchyk, filmed by students at Goldsmiths, University of London.

The boy’s plight prompted other tears around the auditorium

It tracks the boy’s recovery and aspirations of becoming a ballroom dancer, despite being told he may never walk again.  Roman suffered horrifying burns to 45 per cent of his body – most of which were “down to the bone”.

He was also covered in shrapnel wounds and had a broken arm.  When he awoke from a coma, there were casts on all four of his limbs and his head, and he had lost most of his hair.

Medics in Lviv stabilised him and he was transferred to a specialist unit in Dresden, Germany, where he spent a gruelling year undergoing endless surgeries.

He eventually returned to Lviv with his father, Yaroslav, and attempted to settle into daily life after the traumatic ordeal.  Yaroslav said: “We did not know whether he would be able to walk, move his hand or his fingers.

“But thanks to their [the medics’] work, to Roman’s work, his superhuman efforts … all this opened the door for us to return to dancing, to playing musical instruments.”

Yaroslav says his son’s passion for dancing helped improve his balance and muscle strength, while the accordion improved the dexterity of his scorched hands.

Roman ended up winning an international accordion competition in late 2024, and continues to campaign for the plight of Ukrainian children three years on from the barbaric bombing.