A Ukrainian boy who suffered severe burns in a deadly rocket attack on his hometown has found joy in ballroom dancing after receiving treatment in Germany.
Eight-year-old Roman Oleksiv suffered devastating burns to 45 percent of his body and shrapnel in his head after Russian missiles hit his hometown of Vinnytsia in central Ukraine.
Medical experts thought the severe injuries would leave him unable to walk or move his hands, but young Roman dealt with the near-death experience calmly by taking ballroom dancing lessons.
Dressed in a formal shirt and black bow tie, as well as compression socks to heal the extensive scars on his face and hands, the resilient student returned to his school in Ukraine to show off his moves.
Roman masterfully performed the Tango and Charleston in front of a cheering school audience.
Roman and his partner wore a formal shirt and black bow tie, as well as compression socks to help heal the extensive scars on their face and hands. They took the stage by storm as they performed the Charleston and Tango
The courageous eight-year-old had to undergo dozens of skin transplants over the course of a year in a special German clinic after 29 people, including Roman’s mother, died in accidents in his hometown.
The attack, considered one of the deadliest attacks on Ukraine since Russia’s brutal invasion, hit the boy and his mother as they waited for a doctor.
His father, Yaroslav, told Portal: “We didn’t know if he could walk, move his hand or fingers.”
He added: “But thank you [the medics’] Work, for Roman’s work, his superhuman efforts… all this opened the door for us to return to dancing and playing musical instruments.”
Roman’s talents don’t just lie in dancing, as the eight-year-old also played a solo on the bayan, a type of accordion.
Roman demonstrated his grace as he demonstrated his killer moves with his partner at a school in Ukraine
The brave schoolboy kept his head held high as he took his partner onto the dance floor during a performance with other children from his school
The eight-year-old is wearing a compression bandage over his face to help heal injuries he sustained after a devastating Russian missile attack
Roman looked confident as he took his partner’s hand to skillfully perform a dance routine at his school in Ukraine
Roman was accompanied by his smartly dressed classmates as he performed in front of a cheerful audience of his fellow students
The resilient boy took dance lessons despite all odds
Roman’s proud father holds his son by the waist as he looks up at the brave eight-year-old who found joy in dancing after losing his mother in a Russian missile attack
Roman’s father, Yaroslav, punches his young son as he inspires his classmates by hitting the dance floor, although recovery from his devastating injuries is still a long way off
The student returned to class and the company of his classmates in Ukraine after treatment in a special German clinic
Back at school, Roman is seen actively participating in class
The young boy still has a long road to recovery and often has to visit a clinic in Dresden for further operations
The attack, considered one of the deadliest attacks on Ukraine since Russia’s brutal invasion, hit the boy and his mother as they waited for a doctor
Roman gets to work on his homework as his father says, “The question is not what he went through, but how he will continue.”
A Russian missile attack hit the city of Vinnytsia in central Ukraine, one of the deadliest attacks since the invasion
The young boy still has a long road to recovery and often has to visit a clinic in Dresden for further surgeries, including hair implants and surgery to repair ear damage.
His hopeful father said: “I think the question is not what he has been through, but how he will continue… I hope that he will continue with the same vigor as now to grow and develop.”
The German government says it has spent around 24 billion euros (£20 billion) on weapons and humanitarian aid for Ukraine as Russia’s devastating invasion nears its two-year mark.
President Joe Biden warned Wednesday that American troops may have to fight Russian forces if Congress blocks further aid deliveries to Ukraine.
He called for lawmakers to approve his request for tens of billions of dollars in military and economic aid.