Moment of terror Russian drone kills Ukrainian police hero, father of two, who was rushing to rescue civilians in marked patrol car

UKRAINE has suspended all evacuations of frontline civilians in Kharkiv after a police officer was killed in a devastating Russian drone strike.

Devastating dashcam footage captured the moment Major Andriy Ladika, 41, was killed trying to reach stricken residents.

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He was on his way to the besieged border town of Vovchansk when his patrol car was hit.

Footage of his death showed the drone dive bomb toward his vehicle, causing a huge fireball to shoot skyward.

Andriy, a married father of two, was killed instantly in Tuesday’s attack.

His colleague was injured.

The images showed damage to the driver’s side of the vehicle.

It comes as Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky made a surprise trip to Kharkiv to see the damage caused by a morning rush-hour air blitz.

He visited a printing plant that was destroyed by a Russian S-300 missile, killing seven people and injuring at least 21 others.

The Sun was one of the first journalists to arrive at the scene on Thursday as smoke billowed from a hole in the building.

As locals mourned the deaths, a somber Zelesnky said: “Russian terror must never go unpunished.

“Step by step, we are making them feel the consequences and the price of their evil.”

He spoke as hundreds of police officers filed past Major Ladika’s coffin in a traditional farewell ceremony inside the Kharkiv National Opera.

They placed red roses at the base of her coffin while Adagio played in the background.

His heartbroken colleagues bowed their heads and placed their hands on the side of the coffin as his wife and mother burst into tears.

Warnings of air raids broke the silence of the ceremony as the war raged beyond the building.

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After the procession of officials, Major Ladika’s devastated mother and wife slowly approached the open coffin to say goodbye for the last time.

He was then carried by porters to a waiting hearse before a private burial.

His friend and fellow police officer Oleksii Kharkivski was at the front of the convoy when Major Ladika was killed.

He told The Sun: “The drone hit the front half of the car, straight into the bonnet.

“Drones fly everywhere and that’s a problem for the front. They fly and hit anything, they hit civilian cars and volunteers with great precision.”

He added: “The guys jokingly called Andriy Grandpa. But he was young at heart and always tried to help people.

“He was always the first to help everyone.

“This is a huge loss for our department.

“We will continue working, evacuations will continue this year.

“But the patrol cars won’t pass through here, let’s think about the program.”

A police spokesman said: “Andriy, together with other officers, took local residents away from the shelling.

“Without taking life itself into account. He did it for people, for their lives.

“He and his partner were bombed because people who needed help were waiting for them.

“They never arrived – a Russian FPV drone hit a patrol car. Major Andriy Ladika died at the scene.

“His colleague, senior police lieutenant Dmitry Mozharovsky, was seriously injured. Andriy had a son, a daughter, a wife and a mother.”

The World Health Organization says 14,000 people have already been evacuated from Kharkiv amid a daily barrage of Russian rockets.

Most are leaving in cars filled with everything they can carry and in trailers carrying bulkier items – including refrigerators.

But some are unable to leave without help – meaning dangerous evacuations will have to resume within days.

Jarno Habicht of the WHO said 189,000 people who remained near the border with Russia faced “significant risks due to ongoing fighting”.

Additional reporting: Denys Savenkov

Putin’s Ukraine ceasefire plan

BY Ellie Doughty, Foreign News Reporter

RUSSIAN tyrant Vladimir Putin is reportedly prepared to end the war in Ukraine – if Kiev agrees to give up all its territory stolen by his bloodthirsty forces over the years.

He is considering a so-called “ceasefire” agreement, sources close to his inner circle said, as an end to frontline fighting.

The warmongering president was reportedly frustrated by Western efforts to end the plot – and by Ukrainian leader Zelensky’s decision to scrap negotiations.

One of the sources close to the Kremlin said: “Putin can fight as long as necessary, but Putin is also ready for a ceasefire to freeze the war.”

The brutal fighting escalated as Russia opened a new front in Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv.

Brave Ukrainian troops are fighting to keep Vlad’s armies at bay – and Putin is causing soldiers to bleed in their battles of attrition.

But the terrible war, which has been going on for more than two years, shows little sign of ending soon.