Mother of ‘raped and murdered’ Ukrainian woman sobs as she shares her heartache

A mother sobbed as she told reporters how her daughter was allegedly raped and killed by Russian forces.

Karina Yershova, 23, was found dead in a garden in Bucha, Ukraine, with “tears” and “wounds” on her body, her parents said last month.

Now mom Olena and stepdad Andrii Dereko have given another interview as they detailed their torments.

“The police said she was severely tortured,” Olena told Ukraine24.

“My girl wanted to live so badly. She even put on tourniquets to stop the bleeding.”

Andrii said: “They shot her in the legs. Then they shot her in the head.’

They had posted on social media concerned about Karina’s whereabouts and finally learned what had happened after a body matching her description was found.

Photos showed all but one of her fingernails, painted pink, torn off.

The skin on her hands was so singed that bones were visible.

Exactly what happened to Karina before her death is not clear, but there were clear signs of torture, with the Derekos saying the situation was so troubling that police withheld details from them.

Mr Dereko previously said he was learning Ukrainian as he was “ashamed” to speak Russian.

Last month there was global outrage over scenes from Bucha where civilian bodies were found in the streets.

Many of the victims had their hands tied behind their backs, indicating they had been executed.

There were widespread allegations of war crimes and rape of Ukrainian women and girls by Russian soldiers.

Ukrainian politician Olga Stefanishyna said on Tuesday: “Sexual violence is one of Russia’s tools to demoralize society. Our immediate priority is to help the victims and their families and provide them with the necessary psychological, medical and legal support.’

President Zelensky, who visited Bucha, previously said: “This is just a city. One of many Ukrainian communities that Russian troops managed to capture.’

Referring to a town 16 miles west of Bucha, he continued: “Now there is information that in Borodyanka and some other liberated Ukrainian cities the number of victims of the occupiers could be much higher.”

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