Father who lost entire family begs for forgiveness after wife and two children killed in Russian ‘ceasefire’

‘Forgive me, I didn’t cover you’

A Ukrainian man whose wife and two children were killed as they tried to flee fighting north of Kyiv has paid tribute to his family and asked for forgiveness, saying: “I didn't cover you.”

Sergii Perebeinis travelled back to Ukraine on Wednesday to bury his family, where he was told the morgues were “overflowing with civilians” so he would have to postpone the funerals. He had been away at the time of their deaths.

Tatiana Perebeinis, 43, was killed along with her daughter, Alise, 9, and son, Nikita, 18. Photographs broadcast worldwide showed their bodies lying next to their suitcases and a dog carrier.

In a Facebook post on Monday, Mr Perebeinis wrote: “He took them all. [Tatiana] couldn't make it. What is this all me for? What's next? I'm on my way. I must see you one last time.

“Forgive me, I didn't cover you.”

On Thursday, he gave more detail about his harrowing journey back to the site of their deaths, in the suburb of Irpin, which has come under heavy Russian fire despite promises of a ceasefire to allow a humanitarian corridor to be established.

Sergii Perebeinis wrote ‘he took them all’ in a Facebook post after his wife Tatiana Perebeinis and their two children were killed (Sergii Perebeinis/Facebook)

“Trying to hold on but it's really hard,” he said. “Fourth day on my feet, thousands of kilometres of road. I returned to Kyiv.

“Today has been a hard day in every way. The morgues are overflowing with civilians killed from Irpin, Buchi, Gostomel.

“Judicial experts do not have time to issue conclusions and therefore the funeral is postponed. We can't influence the situation, people are just lying there. Inside the atmosphere is like a horror movie. This is all hard to watch when your beloved wife is lying in a black bag on the floor.”

He added: “I met with correspondents, witnesses of these events. They handed me some of the personal items that were left lying on the street near the bodies.

“I will fight for mine to the end.”

Ms Perebeinis, 43, was killed along with her daughter, Alise, 9, and son, Nikita, 18 (Sergii Perebeinis/Facebook)

Ms Perebeinis was chief accountant for SE Ranking, a startup with headquarters in London and a large workforce in Kyiv.

Ms Perebeinis had stayed in Irpin, where she was living, when the Russian invasion started because her mother was unwell.

Her 18-year-old son, who had started university this year, was required to remain in the country in case he was needed to defend it, Ms Khirvonina said.

Tributes have been paid to Ms Perebeinis, who was killed in Irpin (Sergii Perebeinis/Facebook)

Russia has denied targeting civilians, although airstrikes hit three hospitals in Ukraine on Wednesday.

One of those who fled the fighting in Irpin accused Russian forces of shooting civilians.

"The Russians promised to provide a (humanitarian) corridor which they did not comply with. They were shooting civilians," said Ihor Diekov, one of the many people who crossed the Irpin river outside Kyiv.

"That's absolutely true. I witnessed it. People were scared."

The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.