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The 18-year-old younger brother of popular Ukrainian TikTok user, Valeria Shashenok, has died as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine five weeks after launching its assault.
The TikToker, Shashenok, 20, has over a million followers on TikTok and is known for her lighthearted videos on the grim situation in Ukraine in the midst of the Russian invasion.
Brother's death
Shashenok broke the news in a TikTok video on March 31.
She shared several photos of her and her brother and wrote that she couldn't believe that this was happening.
@valerissshI love u, bro🖤 Putin is an evil♬ eventually slowed - xxtristanxo
"Vladimir Putin killed my 18 years old brother in Ukraine while Russian people worry about closure McDonald," she wrote in the video.
McDonald's closed all of its 850 or so outlets in Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
In the video's caption, Shashenok said she loves her brother, adding that Putin is "evil".
Moving from Poland to Italy as a refugee
The Ukrainian photographer has been using the platform on a regular basis to share about her life as the military onslaught continued.
She spent two weeks in a bomb shelter with her family in Chernihiv, a city in northern Ukraine that has been heavily bombed by Russian forces.
In mid-March, she evacuated to Poland as a refugee by herself.
Her family, including her parents, remained in a bunker, likely because men of conscription age between 18 to 60 have been banned from leaving Ukraine.
Shashenok has since travelled through Germany to reach Milan, Italy, where she lives with an Italian family.
As she shows her audience around Italy and adjusts to her new life, she also expressed struggling with leaving her family behind.
@valerisssh Sorry, but it’s hard🥲🇺🇦 #putinstop ♬ dolce far niente - Anka
Russia-Ukraine war
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Top images via TikTok/@valerisssh.