Parents dumped sons, 2 and 3, in homeless camp so they could ‘get some rest’
Two little boys were allegedly left to fend for themselves in a Ukrainian homeless camp so their parents could ‘get some rest’.
Mother Bozhena Synychka, 20, and father Volodymyr Zaitsev, 25, are said to have left their son Andrey, 3, and his younger brother Maksim, 2, to ‘live alongside drunkards’ and forage through rubbish for food for a week.
The couple abandoned the boys naked and barefoot after growing ‘tired of looking after them’, local media reported.
The other people living at the camp in Zaporizhia began sharing food with the boys and looking after them when they realised they had been abandoned, according to reports.
A homeless man named Sergey, 42, who is said to have ‘babysat’ the boys, claimed their parents had told them they would be back in 20 minutes but never returned.
Police and paramedics were finally called after the two children were spotted by an onlooker named Olena Tashevska.
She said: ‘I was terrified to see two little boys lying there on filthy blankets. They were naked and extremely dirty. I immediately called the police.’
Andrey and Maksim are both said to be suffering from ‘viral infectious disease and malnutrition’.
Paediatrician Taisa Klimenko from Zaporizhia Children’s Hospital #1 said: ‘They are weak now and barely can walk.’
Police spokeswoman Dina Kurnikova said: ‘The children lived like ‘Mowgli’ boys. They did not wear any clothes and drank water from the river.
‘The boys were constantly hungry and foraged for food on the nearest beach delving into litter bins.’
A criminal investigation has been launched and the suspects face up to five years in prison if found guilty.
Local social services are reportedly going to sue the parents and deprive them of parental rights.
Andrey and Maksim will be placed in an orphanage until the court has made a decision.
Metro.co.uk has contacted The National Police of Ukraine for further comment.