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'Just be here with me': Son recalls final moments with dad shot dead by Russian troops
"He told me, 'Son, don’t go anywhere. Just wait. Be here with me'."
ITV News Correspondent Peter Smith, field producer Maxim Olshin, camera operator and editor Andy Rex report on the story behind a graphic, viral video documenting what could be one of the first alleged war crimes by Russian troops
A Ukrainian man who hid in a ditch with his fatally wounded father for hours after Russian troops opened fire on them has emotionally told of their final moments together.
Vadym watched helplessly as his dad, Oleg, 48, died in front of him after being shot by Russians outside the town of Ivankiv - a day after the Kremlin's invasion.
Graphic footage captures the moment Russians opened fire on Vadym and Oleg's car, documenting one of the first allegations of war crimes by Vladimir Putin's troops.
The video, filmed by Vadym, shows bullets hitting the car, before smoke swells around the windscreen to the sound of their pet dogs whimpering in the back as they are struck.
Vadym then scrambles to get out of the car as he screams out for his father, who is seen lying on the floor with his arms splayed out, moving occasionally.
He shouts desperately to his dad repeatedly: “Stay with me, stay with me."
Vadym, who asked not to share his surname for fear of Russian repercussions, took ITV News back to the exact location of the shooting.
"The car was there and I dragged him into the ditch so the bullets wouldn’t hit us," Vadym said as he pointed to where their vehicle was struck.
The father and son hid for around three hours in a ditch as Oleg bled to death.
"We couldn’t get to the car. They were constantly shooting," recalled Vadym.
He believes his father could have been saved if they had been able to get out of the ditch to safety, but the Russians kept firing.
"He was still alive. He was alive. I was telling him 'we have to do something. We have to get you out of here or you will die'," said Vadym.
"He was bleeding out and he was very pale.
"He told me: 'Son, don’t go anywhere. Just wait. Be here with me'."
At the time of the shooting, Vadym's wife was heavily pregnant.
Oleg, a builder, died just 39 days before he could meet his granddaughter.
Vadym said he could identify "V" markings on the side of the Russian vehicles, which are consistent with Putin’s troops who attacked Ivankiv from the north.
"What threat were we with our bare hands?" questioned Vadym.
"We didn’t have any weapons or arms. We were driving a civilian car."