UKRAINE suspended all civilian evacuations from the frontline in Kharkiv after a police officer was killed in a devastating Russian drone strike.
Devastating dashcam footage captured the moment Major Andriy Ladika, 41, was killed trying to reach stricken residents.
The Russian drone heading for Andriy Ladika’s patrol car
The moment Major Ladika and his colleague were hit from inside the parked vehicle
Sun man Paul Sims on the ground in Ukraine – where Kharkiv is under ferocious attack from Russia
Peter JordanMourners at the funeral for police officer Major Andriy Ladika, killed by a Russian drone in his police car near Vovchansk[/caption]
Peter JordanA Ukrainian flag is draped over Major Ladika’s coffin at his funeral[/caption]
He was on his way to the besieged border town of Vovchansk when his marked patrol car was hit.
The footage of his death showed the drone dive-bomb towards his vehicle causing a huge fireball to rise skywards.
Married dad-of-two Andriy was killed instantly in Tuesday’s attack.
His colleague was wounded.
Pictures showed the damage to the driver’s side of the patrol car.
It comes as Ukraine‘s President Volodymyr Zelensky made a surprise trip to Kharkiv to see the damage done by a morning rush-hour aerial blitz.
He visited a printing house which was destroyed by a Russian S-300 missile, killing seven and injuring at least 21 others.
The Sun was among the very first journalists at the scene on Thursday as smoke billowed out from a gaping hole in the building.
As locals mourned the deaths a sombre Zelesnky said: “Russian terror must never go unpunished.
“Step by step, we are making them feel the consequences and the price of its evil.”
He spoke as hundreds of officers filed past Major Ladika’s coffin at a traditional farewell ceremony inside Kharkiv’s National Opera House.
They laid red roses at the base of his casket as Adagio played in the background.
His heartbroken colleagues bowed their heads and placed their hands on the side of the coffin as his wife and mum broke down in tears.
Air raid alerts shattered the silence of the ceremony as the war thundered on beyond the building.
The aftermath of the drone strike that killed Major Ladika
Paul Sims at the funeral in Ukraine
Peter JordanPolice colleagues at the ceremony for Major Ladika[/caption]
The current frontline between Russia and Ukraine
After the procession of officers, Major Ladika’s devastated mum and wife slowly approached the open casket to bid a final farewell.
He was then carried by pallbearers to a waiting hearse ahead of a private burial.
His pal and fellow serving cop Oleksii Kharkivski was at the front of the convoy when Major Ladika was killed.
He told The Sun: “The drone hit the front half of the car, right into the hood.
“The drones fly everywhere and this is a problem for the front. They fly and hit anything, they hit civilian cars and volunteer cars so accurately.”
He added: “The guys jokingly called Andriy, Grandpa. But he was young at heart and always tried to help people.
“He was always the first to come to everyone’s aid.
“This is a great loss for our department.
“We will continue to work, the evacuations will continue this year.
“But patrol cars will not stop by, we will think over the program.”
A police spokesperson said: “Andriy, together with other police officers, took local residents from under shelling.
“Not taking into account his own life. He did it for people, for their lives.
“He and his partner drove straight under shelling, because people who needed help were waiting for them.
“They never arrived – a Russian FPV-drone hit a patrol car. Major Andriy Ladika died on the spot.
“His colleague senior lieutenant of police Dmitry Mozharovsky was seriously injured. Andriy had a son, daughter, wife and mom.”
The World Health Organisation says 14,000 people have so far been evacuated from Kharkiv amid a daily bombardment of Russian rockets.
Most are leaving in cars packed full of all they can take and trailers carrying bulkier items – including fridges.
But some are unable to leave without help – meaning the dangerous evacuations will have to resume in the days.
The WHO’s Jarno Habicht said that 189,000 people who remained near the border with Russia faced “significant risks due to ongoing fighting”.
Additional reporting: Denys Savenkov
Putin’s ‘ceasefire’ plot in Ukraine
BY Ellie Doughty, Foreign News Reporter
RUSSIAN tyrant Vladimir Putin is reportedly prepared to end the war in Ukraine – if Kyiv agrees to give up all of its territory stolen by his bloodthirsty forces over the years.
He is considering the so-called “ceasefire” deal, sources close to his inner circle have said, as an end to the meatgrinder frontline fighting.
The warmonger president was reportedly frustrated at Western efforts to axe the plot – and Ukrainian leader Zelensky’s decision to rule out talks.
One of the sources close to the Kremlin said: “Putin can fight for as long as it takes, but Putin is also ready for a ceasefire to freeze the war.”
The brutal fighting kicked up a notch when Russia opened a fresh front in Ukraine’s second-biggest city, Kharkiv.
Brave Ukrainian troops are battling to hold Vlad’s armies at bay – and Putin is haemorrhaging soldiers in his battles of attrition.
But the horrific war, having now stretched on for more than two years, shows little sign of ending soon.
