A close, hard-working family: the Voronovs, killed by a Russian missile in their own home

A Russian ballistic missile struck a home in the village of Radushne in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on the night of 29-30 July. Six members of the large Voronov family were killed in the strike – the parents, three of their children and a grandson. Five more of the children are still unaccounted for.

UP.Zhyttia has gathered everything known about the family and the aftermath of the tragedy.

The Voronovs' eldest son, Danylo, is currently on military service and lives in the city of Mykolaiv with his wife. Their 18-month-old son Artem happened to be staying with his grandparents at the time – a lively, cheerful little boy, his father said.

The couple planned to pick up their child over the weekend – the boy has just been enrolled in kindergarten.

Danylo learned of the attack in the middle of night, in a call from his sister, who now lives in Germany, Ukraine's national public broadcaster Suspilne reported. Their mother, 41-year-old Olena, had returned from there just the day before the tragedy – neighbours say she had barely a single day back home before her life was cut short.

"She said at first that there was information about a strike near the house, that the house caught fire. Then my grandmother called and said the house was gone. I came here straight away. I lost everyone: my parents, my sisters, my brothers, my son. All I have left is my wife, one sister and one brother," Danylo said.

Danylo says the family moved into this house in 2020. His parents worked several jobs to support the family. His father, Artem, was an engineer, while his mother worked in the education department. Danylo says the family was very close and hard-working, and everyone supported one another.

When the parents were away, sons Zakhar and Ilai took care of the house – the family kept ducks, geese and chickens.

"They even gave them names. Dominika had a hobby too – whenever I visited, she'd always be baking something, little pies or sausage rolls," Danylo says.

Danylo tried to visit the family often. This very weekend, he had planned to go fishing with his 17-year-old brother Marko – and chess with his father had long been something of a tradition between them.

"That was our little sporting hobby together, you could say. He taught me to play from the time I was a child. I always told my father I wanted to do karate, and he'd say: you'll play chess instead. My goal was to beat him one day – and I was finally starting to get there," Danylo said.

Every evening, laughter and the joyful voices of children would drift out from the family's yard, local resident Yuliia recalls. Her younger son was friends with Emiliia, the Voronovs' youngest daughter.

"We couldn't bring ourselves to tell him the girl died. And my elder son was friends with Marko, his only friend. He cried so bitterly when he found out Marko was killed," Yuliia says.

Liudmyla, another Radushne resident whose house was also damaged in the attack, said she knew the Voronov family well. The children, she recalls, were hard-working and helped around the house. Olena knew how to raise children and instilled a sense of responsibility in them.

"Now there's a mass grave right outside our windows," Liudmyla added.

Mykola, a family friend, said he knew the Voronovs well and had visited the head of the family, Artem, just a week earlier. He said they were a thoroughly decent family, and the children were always well cared for. He said no one could say a bad word about them.

The Russian missile strike was so powerful that almost nothing remained of the house. Human remains were recovered from beneath the rubble, and only forensic examination will be able to establish whose they are. Meanwhile, their family and friends continue to wait for information about Zakharii, Dominika, Viorika, Federika and Artem.

To honour the memory of the family, concerned local residents and fellow villagers have been bringing toys, flowers and children's drawings to the ruins of the destroyed home.

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