It was a cold day. Vitaly was strolling with his girlfriend along the Svisloch River when suddenly they heard cries for help.
As they approached, they discovered a woman calling for assistance. She was shouting that a child was in the water.
No one was on the shore. The boy jumped into the river after taking off his jacket. He resurfaced for a few seconds and then the water hid him.
“I was out with my girlfriend, and then we heard someone shouting for help. There was a mother and her son standing on the riverbank, yelling that a boy was in the river. There was no one else around at that moment,” Vitaly said.
He hurried to the other side as it was the best way to reach the submerged child. When he caught hold of the boy, the child was already unconscious.
He dragged him ashore. By that time, a crowd had gathered, and someone called an ambulance.
The doctors began to resuscitate the child and took him to the medical center.
“My girlfriend tried to dry me with her sweater, someone gave me a scarf, and the doctors put me in the ambulance to warm up a bit. Later, I went back home,” the hero narrated.
Vitaly is doing well. He doesn’t consider his action heroic and says he acted more out of instinct.
“I didn’t think much before jumping into the water. Who else but me? There were two guys standing there, but they were just watching, so I didn’t have another choice.”
The young man is optimistic that the boy he pulled out of the water will be okay.
And he says he would do it again without a doubt.
In the end, Vitaly’s behavior was praised by many as the act of a true and great man.
Not everyone can come to the aid of another, risking themselves. He deserves respect.
