CNN Host Breaks Down When Ukrainian Man Tells Story Of Discovering His Wife And Kids Were Killed By Seeing A Photo Of Their Bodies On Twitter

A recent CNN interview with a Ukrainian man who lost his wife and children in the attacks has gone viral after the story was so heartbreaking that even the news anchor started tearing up during the segment.

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Serhiy Perebyinis spoke with Erin Burnett about discovering that his family had been killed after realizing something was wrong based on the location of his wife’s phone.

He explained that they had location sharing on their devices, as he had left to go fight against the invading Russian forces. One morning, he noticed that her phone had moved to a strange location. Then, to a hospital. 

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“I suspected something was wrong,” Perebyinis said. “And I asked friends to come to the hospital and find out whether there was any bad news.”

But before his friends were able to find anything out for him, he saw a photo that was circulating on Twitter.

“I recognized my children. I recognized their things and their clothes,” he recounted. “And I called my friends to say, ‘The children are dead. Their bodies are lying on pavement,’ and I asked them, ‘Please could you help me to find my wife.’”

“I saw a photo on Twitter and I recognized my children.” – Serhiy Perebyinis speaks with Erin Burnett about how he found out that his wife and two children had been killed in Russian shelling. pic.twitter.com/GlPe45diWy

— CNN (@CNN) March 17, 2022

Perebyinis’s wife, Tatiana, and his two children, 18-year-old Mykyta and 9-year-old Alisa, had stayed behind to care for her mother. They were trying to flee with the help of a church volunteer when all four were killed by a Russian military strike.

“She was a very cheerful person,” he said of his wife of 23 years. He added that his son was in his second year of college, hoping to work in IT, while his young daughter had been studying English and loved to dance. “We spent lots of time together as a family.”

All the civilian casualties in this war so far have been heartbreaking, but to find out your entire family died through a photograph of their bodies lying in the street on social media is such a horrifying idea that even Burnett, a veteran reporter, broke down listening to Perebyinis tell his story.

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This is heartbreaking. I don’t see how Erin was able to do this interview with this poor man. I’m in tears just watching. Let’s do all we can to deliver the Ukrainian people from this horror. Prayers to our Creator to help us help Ukraine end this tragic situation.

— Corinne Zuege/BoilerGram (@BoilerGram) March 17, 2022

Yeah if I cried so hard, I noticed that amount of tear reduced overtime. Maybe first 10 rounds- sobbing hard and a lot of tears. after 10 rounds- crying but less tears.

— ytp (@lenovoiso) March 17, 2022

It is estimated that around 700 civilians have been killed in Ukraine so far, with at least 100 of those being children. Experts have suggested the true number is likely even higher.

“The whole world should know what is happening here,” Perebyinis said.

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*First Published: March 17, 2022, 8:46 am