Ukrainian maths genius turned war worker killed in Kharkiv bombing while helping others

Yulia Zdanowska was a maths teacher and volunteer prodigy, turned war worker.

As her home city of Kharkiv burned, she worked on the ground to help those caught up in the Russian attack, vowing to friends that she would not leave until Ukraine had won the war.

Last week, she was killed in bombing in the city.

"Everybody around Yulia loved her," her mother, Olena Vinnik, said. "She was very talented and she was very bright".

Each day she would text her parents to reassure them she was safe - after not hearing from her for more than eight hours, her family knew something was wrong.

The UN human rights office says at least 579 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the start of Russia's invasion, and more than 1,000 have been injured.

It said most recorded civilian casualties were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a “wide impact area,” such as shelling from heavy artillery and missile strikes.

It's suspected the true civilian death toll is much higher.

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