He dreamed of a Kawasaki: boy killed in Russian strike on Kyiv Oblast laid to rest to the roar of bikes

People bid farewell to 14-year-old Illia Honcharov in Kyiv Oblast, who was killed as a result of a Russian strike on the city of Vyshhorod on 30 September. The boy loved motorcycles dearly and dreamed of owning his own Kawasaki. That is why his family invited motorcyclists to the funeral to sound their horns for the teenager.

Source: Radio Liberty

Details: During the Russian attack, a missile hit the Honcharov family's house. The family had previously evacuated from the village of Yastrubshchyna in the Esman hromada of Sumy Oblast due to constant attacks. 

The boy's parents, Pavlo and Olena, as well as his younger sister Liza, were pulled from the rubble. Illia could not be saved.

The decision was made to bury the teenager in Vyshhorod. On the eve of the funeral, his relatives wrote on social media that Illia adored motorcycles.

Quote from one of his relatives on Instagram: "He simply lived for them. He started with a moped, then had a Viper, then a Shineray. He took great care of every single bike he had, looked after them, treasured them and constantly dreamed of a Kawasaki.

We want to say goodbye to Illiusha in a way that would be close to his heart, so we kindly ask everyone who has a motorcycle to join. When we lower him into the grave, we want motorcycles nearby – revving, idling and sounding their horns."

Several hundred people came to the church in Vyshhorod on 2 October for the memorial. Dozens of motorcyclists also arrived to pay their final respects to the teenager. They accompanied the funeral cortege to the burial site.

Background: In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, farewells were held for 15-year-old Ruslan Boreshchuk, who was killed as a result of a strike on a logistics company facility on 28 September.

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