This is the heartbreaking moment when a three-year-old boy, injured in an airstrike on Mariupol, comes face to face with the reality of the vicious invasion of Russia.
Little Dima asks about his father, who is being treated for his own wounds elsewhere in the hospital.
The boy cries in pain and keeps asking, “Dad. Is my dad coming at all?
Dima, three, is waiting for his father in the Mariupol infirmary, where they are both being treated
Dima screams “Daddy” in vain as his father is being treated elsewhere in the hospital
Father and son were badly injured in one of the many vicious Russian attacks on Mariupol
‘Where is my father? Is my father coming?’
Finally a nurse comes and tells him: “Yes, yes, he will come. Just don’t cry, okay?
‘He’ll be here soon, like your mum told you.’
Equipped with a stomach tube, Dima lies helplessly on a metal bed, his toy car next to him.
“Dima, 3” is written on the bed frame with a felt pen.
The CBS News clip has been shared tens of thousands of times since it aired last night following the recent Russian airstrikes on Mariupol.
The coastal city in south-eastern Ukraine has been the scene of fierce fighting since February, as Putin attempts to clear a warpath between Russian-controlled territory and Crimea.
Mariupol – and Dima – are just in the way.
The crumbling city finally got the reprieve of a 24-hour ceasefire from 7am this morning to evacuate trapped civilians.
Dima’s metal hospital bed is marked “Dima, 3” in black marker because the nurses are constantly providing care
Luckily, Dima has some of his favorite toys nearby. But that won’t ease his pain
Brave medics like Dima’s nurse have stayed in the war-torn city to tend to civilians
Mariupol, once a city of 400,000 people, still has 170,000 people stuck in protected areas or in combat zones
It was too late for Dima’s family, who have to stay for life-saving treatment and will not be on one of the 45 buses sent to pick up desperate refugees.
Red Cross teams are also on their way to Mariupol with relief supplies in the hope of being able to evacuate more civilians tomorrow.
ICRC spokesman Ewan Watson said Ukraine and Russia must agree on the precise terms of the operation, which is scheduled for Friday, adding that “tens of thousands” of lives depended on its success.
“For logistical and safety reasons, we will be ready to direct safe passage tomorrow, Friday, provided all parties agree on the precise terms, including route, start time and duration,” Watson told Reuters in Geneva.
Despite hopes for a brief respite from the Russian onslaught, Putin has vowed to continue his demolition once the ceasefire ends and said he will not stop shelling Mariupol until it is handed over.
The president made the comments during an hour-long phone call with Emmanuel Macron Tuesday night, the Kremlin said.
Mariupol has been granted a 24-hour truce, but Russia will resume attacks
The once-beautiful coastal city has halved its population — and destroyed many landmarks
Military weapons remain on the streets of Mariupol even as fighting briefly ceases
Streets in Mariupol have become dusty and unkempt, entire buildings are hollowed out
Mariupol nurse Svetlana Savchenko, 56, inspects her broken home on Wednesday
Putin told Macron that “in order to resolve the difficult humanitarian situation in this city, militant Ukrainian nationalists must cease their resistance and lay down their arms,” Russian officials said.
The city, which normally has a population of more than 400,000, was a strategic focus of the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began five weeks ago and has been bombed almost non-stop.
Repeated attempts to organize safe corridors have failed, with each side blaming the other.
Russia denies targeting civilians in its attack on Ukraine.