My dad became an Angel, or what Ukrainian children wrote in their last text messages to dead dads.

This is the number of children in the care of Children of Heroes, a charity that deals with war orphans and semi-orphans.

Most of the wards have a hard time with every holiday. This is because these events are no longer what they used to be. Among them, Father's Day is the most difficult. Especially because of the painful statistic that 87 per cent of the children cared for by the Foundation have lost their parents. Despite the pain of loss, it is very important that children remember their parents and know the price they paid for our common freedom.

To show children that saying 'I love you, tattoo' is not excessive, the charity has shared stories and SMS screenshots from several wards.

Roma

Twelve-year-old Roma's father became a volunteer on 24 February 2022. In March of the same year he was officially enlisted in the Ukrainian armed forces.
Aleksandr took part in the defence of Kiev. After further training he left for the front, but four months later he was killed in action in Severskiy district. After Alexander's "zero" position, Roman developed asthma. Most doctors see it as a reaction to stress. But Alexander loved his son so much that he took some time off to support him during his treatment. That was the last time Roman saw his father. The child remembers it all the time. After his father's death, he told his mother about his experiences: Roman dreamt about his father's death for four months. After the funeral, he shared that he was tired of crying every night and mentally burying his father.

Masha

Ruslan and Oksana wanted a peaceful family life. They had a daughter, Masha. Everything was great until the war started in 2014. Ruslan went to fight in the ATO. So instead of evening hugs, conversations and walks - the family started to receive a "+" message, meaning that Daddy was doing well. Masha was proud of her daddy, looking forward to the victory and the trip to the sea. They were very fond of animals - after the war was over, Daddy promised to buy her a doggie. Masha feeds all the stray dogs in the neighbourhood, so a dog of her own is a lifelong dream. But it wasn't meant to be. Now her father with awards and recognition posthumously. From the very beginning he did not let the machine gun out of his hands and was in the first ranks. Died on a combat mission.

Alexandra

Sergei joined the border troops in 2015, then the paratroopers and then the intelligence service. The man wanted his family to live in a peaceful Ukraine. He always went to difficult tasks just to get home (after one of them he was still allowed to see his family for a few days). On his last visit the man spent all his time with his family.

Since Sergei's death his son has worn a badge around his neck with his father's call-sign on it, and his wife has a ring which he managed to give her one last time. Even though nine months have passed, the wound of loss still continues to bleed. Every day some family member wants to call him, but all that remains is to read the last SMS.

Emilia and Miroslava

The twins Emilia and Miroslava recently turned 2 years old. And their father also died in the war. Although the girls are too young to write messages, they have already learned how to make a video with their daddy. And this will remain the only reference to him for them.

on 10 May 2022, during an airstrike on the Lisichansk refinery, the life of the young father of two daughters was cut short. He was a senior sergeant in the Luhansk border guard unit. A woman and her daughters were forced to leave their home in Luhansk oblast. They are now living in rented accommodation, but they have not given up hope of returning home after Ukraine's victory.