Six-year-old Nikita’s father served in the Azov regiment and defended the city of Mariupol during the onset of the war. Together with his unit, he took part in battle at the Azovstal plant, a pivotal point during the Siege of Mariupol. It is there where the Russian troops deployed the powerful FAB-1000 bomb on the Azov regiment, killing Nikita’s father during the air strike. The young father was just 30-years-old.

Little Nikita and his mother were able to escape their native Mariupol to another city, though it too ended up occupied by Russian forces. It took a further month before they were able to find safety once again, losing everything they knew and loved in the process. Nikita continues to miss his father and constantly asks when he will be coming back.