Childhood sweethearts in Ukraine who were married for more than three decades were taken out by Russian drones while fleeing their occupied village — with heart-wrenching footage capturing the husband’s final moments weeping beside the charred corpse of his beloved wife.
Valerii and Valentyna Klochkov, who were married for 33 years, were among the final holdouts hiding from Moscow invaders in their village of Hrabovske, along the Russian border, when they made a break for it on Jan. 27, The Times reported.
As they ran from their hiding place, a Russian drone struck Valentyna, 52, forcing Valerii, 54, to put his wounded wife on a sled and run desperately through the snow to try and reach Ukrainian troops attempting to rescue the fleeing couple.
Valerii, however, did not make it far when another drone landed on Valentyna’s lap and detonated, blowing her to pieces, according to footage shared by the Ukrainian military.
Kyiv troops monitoring the couple’s trek to the rendezvous point could only watch in horror as Valerii dropped to his knees beside the lifeless corpse of his wife and broke down crying.
A third drone then slowly approached and blew him up as well, leaving the husband and wife’s bodies lying together in the snow, according to the Times.
Oksana Zyma, 53, Valentyna’s sister, said she was heartbroken to learn about her sister’s murder, adding that Valentyna and Valerii had been together since they were teenagers.
“They were kind and gentle people, who lived a simple life together and loved one another very much,” Zyma told the Times. “The thought of my sister lying scattered in the snow, unrecovered, is unbearable.”
Hrabovske had been among the first areas to be evacuated when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with the Klochkovs among the dozens who decided to remain in their village.
Oleksandr Klochkov, Valerii’s nephew, said that his uncle and aunt were hiding in a cellar when Russians abducted his parents on December 18, 2025, the local Suspline Sumy broadcaster reported.
“All this time they lived in the cellar,” Oleksandr said. “As far as I understand, my aunt either got sick, or they simply couldn’t stand being there morally — and he decided to leave.”
The Klochkovs’ escape was picked up by a Ukrainian police officer who alerted a special police rescue unit to intercept them as they tried to cross the no-man’s land, according to the Times.
A Ukrainian drone was quickly deployed to drop off a communication device to the couple, informing them that the White Angels rescue unit and soldiers would meet them at a rendezvous point to get them to safety.
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“They had covered almost seven kilometers (more than four miles) from the village — a significant distance, yet only halfway,” Oleksandr said.
“They were already prepared; a car was ready to head out and pick them up.”
Unfortunately for the Klochkovs, the Russians had also spotted them and deployed the deadly drones.
The rescue operation was aborted, and the slaughtered sweethearts lay together in the snow at the front lines, with Ukrainian soldiers unable to recover them.
