Torricelli's void

“Her legs were torn off, she was ripped to pieces.” A Russian drone killed 84-year-old woman Grandma Lora in Kherson as she was walking her goats, The New York Post reports. In a September interview, Lora said: “Everyone is afraid, but everyone still has hope.” Larisa Myronivna Vakulyuk, 84, known as Grandma Lora, died instantly when a Russian FPV drone struck her and her two goats in the Antonivskyi district of Kherson. Journalist Zarina Zabrisky, who had interviewed Vakulyuk a month earlier, described the aftermath: “Her legs were torn off, she was ripped to pieces. In my three and a half years covering this war, I have seen many deaths, but this was one of the hardest to witness.” Volunteer Andrii Petukhov found her remains alongside the dead goats, confirming that she died instantly and that the strike occurred during her morning walk. In her September interview, Vakulyuk said: “Everyone is afraid, but everyone still has hope,” capturing both fear and resilience amid the shelling of Kherson. The attack was one of several that day, which also injured four civilians and damaged homes, schools, and residential buildings across the city. Ukrainian and human rights groups call Kherson a “human safari zone” — an area where Russian drones and artillery deliberately hunt civilians. In July, outrage followed reports that a one-year-old boy was killed by a Russian drone while playing outside, showing how Moscow’s “human safari” now claims victims from infants to the elderly. Nearly 150 civilians were killed during the summer bombardments of Kherson in 2024, and hundreds more were injured. Russia continues to intensify daily drone strikes on populated areas. Source: Translated from Tymofiy Milovanov