The following story is not one for the faint of heart - it contains images of disturbing violence and may cause upset.

Many people believe that bullying amongst school children is part of life and that it helps build character.

However, the torment that some kids suffer at the hands of other leaves lasting scars.

For one boy, his scars are likely to be visible for all the world to see for the rest of his life.

Kyrylo Yatsun,8, was set on fire by his bullies and rushed to the hospital to have his wounds treated.

A Matter of Life and Death

Kyrylo suffered severe burns to 35% of his body and is fighting for his life while his mother is completely heartbroken.

According to reports, the horrible incident happened in Dnipro, Ukraine. The youngster was playing in a courtyard near his home at the time.

A group of older children than him set upon Kyrylo and drenched him in gasoline before setting him alight.

Since the horrific incident, Eugenia Yatsun, his mother, has not left his side. She's been with him since he was admitted to the hospital.

She feels that the children who did this to him are monsters.

What Happened?

As per reports by The Sun, the group of bullies poured the gasoline on the child's shirt and threw a lighter onto him before he could escape.

His clothes immediately caught on fire and, in an instant, the boy was engulfed in flames.

Witnesses claim that while he was burning (almost to death), the bullies were standing by and laughing at his pain.

Kyrylo screamed in anguish and dropped to the ground as his attackers ran away when people were coming to see what's going on.

Adults were able to put out the fire and remove his shirt while calling for medical assistance.

Several Surgeries Later

Kyrylo was rushed to Dnipro Regional Children's Hospital. There, doctors had to perform several surgeries on him.

The skin had to be removed from his torso, hips, arms, and head because of the severity of the burns.

Doctors have done everything they could to give the boy his best chance at surviving the attack.

Doctor Artem Posunko confirmed that Kyrylo was admitted to the hospital in bad condition, with 35% of his body burned.

He added that Kyrylo was awake but that his condition remains critical.

"We do everything possible to keep him alive. He is conscious and can speak, but his injuries are very serious, and his condition is still life-threatening."

Kyrylo will have to remain hospitalized for the next two months before he will be able to go home.

His distraught mother shared a statement and opened up about how she discovered her son's attack.

Eugenia was in the kitchen, preparing lunch when it happened. She did not know what happened until some children rushed to the home to inform her.

"I was cooking lunch at home when some children rushed in and said that Kyrylo was injured."

Upon quickly going outside, she found her son on the ground, writhing in pain.

"I ran outside and saw my son lying on the ground. The skin on his belly and legs was badly burned."

"He told me that they did it to him on purpose without any reason. They are not children, they are monsters."

Ongoing Investigation

The police have arrested the group of bullies and opened a criminal investigation.

Anna Starchevskaya, the police spokesperson, stated that the children claim it was all an accident.

"The suspects say that they did not intend to set the victim on fire and that it was an accident. The investigation is ongoing."

Reports indicate that if the children are found guilty of a crime, they will all be sentenced to time in a juvenile correctional facility.