Watch: Moment bomb shelter in besieged Kyiv falls silent as young girl sings 'Let it Go'

7 March 2022, 10:05

This is the moment Ukrainians seeking refuge in a bomb shelter stopped to listen to a young girl sing – while her city comes under attack by Russian forces.

A clip on social media shows a girl, Amelka, sing "Let it Go" from Disney's Frozen as others in the Kyiv shelter fall silent, some holding back tears.

The video, posted to Facebook by Marta Smekhova on March 3, has been viewed more than 3 million times across Twitter.

It punctuated the fighting with a moment of humanity as the capital was bombarded by Russian strikes, with Vladimir Putin's forces moving to apparently encircle the historic city.

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Ms Smekhova said: "I showed this video to people in different cities of Ukraine, it was seen by foreigners in different parts of the world!

"Amelia, your singing left no one indifferent! Look, Russians, against whom you are fighting!

"Only a coward can fight against civilians, take away childhood from defenceless children!

"You let your children go to the stew, making them into cannon meat...

"And our children radiate light, and even in a raw dark basement it does not blink, but ignites even brighter!"

Adults packed into the shelter all turn to face her, many recording the moment on their phones.

Ms Smekhova said Amelka told her she likes to draw and loves singing, and hopes to one day perform on a "big stage in front of [an] audience".

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Kyiv is considered the prime target for the Russian invasion force, with Western observers fearing Putin wants to overthrow President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's democratically-elected government and replace it with a pro-Russian regime.

While its military is moving on multiple axes towards the capital, missile strikes have wreaked havoc on parts of the city, forcing its citizens into shelters including the metro system.

It is one of several Ukrainian cities the Russians are besieging.

Russia said on Monday it had agreed to temporarily stop fighting to allow civilians to escape some areas, though it has been accused of breaking previous agreements to halt the violence.

It was also claimed the ceasefires have been used as a chance to prepare for further attacks after the invasion force was bogged down by heavy Ukrainian resistance and logistics issues.

The UK Ministry of Defence said on Monday that Moscow is now targeting communication infrastructure in a bit to cut off civilians from the news.