Bravery in Crisis: 13-Year-Old Saves Lives in Burning Bus

A 13-year-old from Sumy, Kyrylo Iliashenko, was on a bus with his mother when a Russian missile struck nearby. The explosion ignited a fire in the vehicle, and the doors became jammed.

However, Kyrylo remained calm – he climbed out of a window and began assisting other passengers in escaping the burning interior.

He shared his heroic act during a live broadcast of the "Unified News" telethon.

"At that moment, I didn't think – I just acted. I was fueled by adrenaline," the teenager recounted about his rescue efforts.

He added that he had no prior experience or skills in providing assistance.

Kyrylo also shared his memories of the incident with reporters from "Kordon.Media".

"We were driving along Bankova Street when I heard a whistling sound and saw something falling. Then – people screaming, and windows shattering. I fell, and glass rained down on me. At first, I was slightly concussed, and all sounds became muffled.

I looked left and right and smelled smoke. I thought that the bus was already burning or could catch fire. I quickly got up and tried to unlock the bus doors. When that didn’t work, I threw my bag out the window and jumped after it, then started to unlock the doors from the outside," Kyrylo recalled.

Other bus passengers were in shock and didn't scream. Once he managed to open the doors, Kyrylo began helping people out. His mother’s face was covered in blood, and he admits he was very scared for her.

As a result of the attack, Kyrylo himself sustained injuries – three fragments hit his head. One of the larger metal fragments was already removed by doctors. The other two, according to medical professionals, will remain as they are too deeply embedded. Kyrylo's life is not in danger, but he is still under medical supervision.

His mother, Marina, admits she still can’t recover from the ordeal.

"It's hard to close my eyes – that image is constantly in my mind. We didn’t sleep all night. It's emotionally very difficult. I was on the bus and saw how my son helped. At that moment, I realized I raised a real man," she adds with pride.

Kyrylo is studying in the eighth grade at Sumy School No. 4 and practices wrestling at the local children’s sports school.

On the institution's page, Kyrylo's act was described as a true example of heroism, and they thanked his parents for raising such a son.

His actions were also acknowledged by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Ihor Klymenko, who visited him during a work trip to Sumy.

"Now the whole country thanks Kyrylo for his deed. This is our new generation of heroes: brave, determined, and selfless," noted the Minister.