Two-year-old Marat lived with his parents in Lysychansk in the eastern Luhansk region. During the beginning of the war, the family hid in their basement to escape the frequent enemy shelling. After leaving to obtain supplies, Marat’s father never returned. It was later revealed that Russian soldiers captured him, tortured him and shot him at point blank range – later burying him in a makeshift coffin.
Marat and his mother were forced to flee the city to stay alive. They have since settled elsewhere, though with no financial support and a hometown that has been completely wiped off the map.
