Chief accountant of SE ranking and her two children killed in Ukraine

Tatiana Perebeinis, the chief accountant for SE Ranking, an SEO platform, died under Russian attack in Ukraine on Sunday. With her two children, Alise and Tatiana (nine and 13 years old respectively) and a man, she was attempting to leave Irpin, Ukraine, when Russian forces opened fire, according to reports.

The final moments

On Sunday, the New York Times documented the final moments of their lives.  (Warning: the article contains a graphic image and video of the mortar attack and the aftermath):

“As the mortars got closer to the stream of civilians, people ran, pulling children, trying to find a safe spot. But there was nothing to hide behind. A shell landed in the street, sending up a cloud of concrete dust and leaving one family — a woman, her teenage son and a her daughter, who appeared to be about 8 years old; and a family friend — sprawled on the ground.

Soldiers rushed to help, but the woman and children were dead. A man traveling with them still had a pulse but was unconscious and severely wounded. He later died.

Their luggage, a blue roller suitcase and some backpacks, was scattered about, along with a green carrying case for a small dog that was barking.

Ukrainian forces were engaged in clashes nearby, but not at the site where civilians were moving along the street. Outgoing mortar rounds could be heard from a Ukrainian position about 200 yards away.

The shelling suggested either targeting of the evacuation routes from Irpin, something of which the Ukrainian authorities have accused the Russian army after a railroad track used for evacuations was hit on Saturday, or disregard for the risk of civilian casualties.”

– Lynsey Addario, New York Times

Tatiana had not tried to leave sooner because she was caring for her ailing mother, according to New York Post.

Statement from SE Ranking

Here is the full statement from SE Ranking, shared via LinkedIn and Facebook:

“We are devastated to say that yesterday our dear colleague and friend Tatiana Perebeinis, the chief accountant of SE Ranking, was killed together with her two kids by russian mortar artillery.

The family was trying to evacuate from Irpin – a small city right near Kyiv that has been left without water supply, electricity, and heating. 

There are no words to describe our grief or to mend our pain. But for us, it is crucial to not let Tania and her kids Alise and Nikita remain just statistics. Her family became the victim of the unprovoked fire on civilians, which under any law is a crime against humanity. 

The russian army are criminals, and they should be stopped. 

Our hearts are broken. Our prayers are for all Ukrainians, who are fighting for their right to exist.”

Many of SE Ranking’s team are Ukrainian. They published a blog post to suggest ways in which people can help: How You Can Help Ukrainians Today (SE Ranking Team Included).

Why we care. If only this were the end of it and we should pray that it is, but editors at MarTech have been receiving messages from marketing and ad tech professionals currently under fire and nevertheless trying to continue with their work. LinkedIn updates also show agencies and marketing technology companies trying evacuate staff safely from Ukraine.

Additional reporting by Kim Davis