'She was so scared': Man who fled Ukraine's Mariupol fears granddaughter will be taken to Russian city

A 67-year-old man, who fled the besieged city of Mariupol amid the Russian invasion, spoke with his granddaughter weeks later. He was relieved to see the 12-year-old alive but fear gripped him as soon as he learnt about the location she was in at the moment.

Alexsandr Obedinsky had lost contact with his 12-year-old grandaughter after he fled the besieged city of Mariupol amid the Russian assault. Weeks later, he received a video-call from her. She was in a hospital, with wounds around her ear and face and legs. During the conversation, she told her grandfather that it is likely that she would be taken to a Russian city.

"She was in a hospital bed, she had shrapnel wounds around her ear and face and her legs, but she seemed OK. I was so relieved. But she told me she's in Donetsk, and it seems like she's on her own. She told me they're taking her to a Russian city," the 67-year-old was quoted by the Guardian as saying.

Twelve-year-old Kira's father was shot dead on the balcony of an apartment in Mariupol by a Russian sniper on March 17. With the death of her father, Kira was left an orphan as her mother had died two weeks after she was born.

ALSO SEE | Bloodbath in Bucha: Rows of body bags as Russia unleashes unrelenting violence | Pics

Anya, the partner of Kira's father, then tried to take the girl and her own children on foot out of the city. From what Kira told her grandfather, it looked like the family and a group of neighbours walked for around two days before coming across a minefield, which killed a little boy and injured Kira, the report said.

The report further suggested that the girl might have been picked up by Russian soldiers and taken to a hospital in Donetsk. At the hospital, doctors said they'd take care of her, allow her access to her phone to call Obedinsky and eventually send her to a new home in Russia.

"She is so scared. She doesn't know where or why she is going," the grandfather said.