'I was so scared, I tried to breathe but I just couldn't'

A UKRAINIAN child traumatised by Russian bombing has overcome his fears with the help of therapy and has even assisted his young friends and family to brave the war.

- Rebecca Robinson

Last July, Artur Monakhova saw an attack that blitzed the building across the road and also blew out the windows of his own flat in the south eastern city of Zaporizhzhia.

The 13-year-old suffered a panic attack. He recalled: "I was so scared. I began to breathe, and I couldn't. I tried to breathe some air, but I just couldn't do it."

Artur and his mother Natalia took shelter in their hallway, where they laid down pillows and blankets to give the youngster some comfort.

The teen became withdrawn. He said: "We stayed in the hall for a long time that day as I couldn't breathe.

And after that, I stayed in the hall all the time. I refused to go anywhere. My mum brought my food to the hall and I just left to use the bathroom. I love football but I stopped going to games and practice. I'd get dressed but I just couldn't go.

"I stopped speaking to my friends and would only communicate with them online from the hall. I would also cry during the night."

Natalia eventually took Artur to Voices of Children, which provides psychosocial help for children affected by the horrors of Vladimir Putin's war.