Five children from family killed in Russian missile strike laid to rest in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast

Five children from the Voronov family – 16-year-old Dominika, 14-year-old Viorika, 13-year-old Zakharii, nine-year-old Federika and 18-month-old Artem – have been laid to rest in Radushne, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Their lives were cut short on the night of 29-30 July when a Russian missile struck their family home.

Source: Suspilne Dnipro

Details: The children had been considered missing for around two and a half months, but forensic examinations have now confirmed their deaths.

The children's grandmother, Nelia, said that only the foundation remained of the house after the strike. Throughout this time, she had prayed that all those killed would be identified.

"We didn't know how they would be separated. But now they will all be together as one family there, in the cemetery. Nothing miraculous could have happened. The only thing I asked God for was that everyone would be found and identified. There was no one else there, only family members – 10 people," the woman said.

Inna lives near the site where the Voronov family's home once stood. She said she ran outside immediately after the explosion, but saw only rubble where the house had been.

Quote from Inna: "The missile hit right in the middle of the house, in the children's room, as we were told. We were putting out a fire in the neighbouring house, where two children had been trapped under the rubble. When we got them out and went to the [Voronovs'] house, there was no one left to look for… We knew them. All the children were friends with each other. They were good people."

Details: Their neighbour Mykola said the Voronovs had always been a close-knit and cheerful family.

"In a large family, everyone is like that – they help one another and live as one family. It is hard to comprehend what happened. Such pain," he said.

Dominika's best friend, Karina, also attended the funeral. She said they often spent time together.

Quote from Karina: "[Dominika] was a very kind and sincere person. She really loved beadwork. I even have a pendant from her. She was so wonderful that I don't even have any more words. She loved children so much. She even planned to have a family of her own one day. She wanted two children."

Details: Dominika's classmate, Sofiia, remembered her as a cheerful, smiling person.

"I didn't know her family, but Dominika was a very cheerful person who always smiled. I never saw her sad. It is so sad that this happened," Sofiia said.

Ihor Kozachenko, head of the school where Dominika studied, described her as a kind friend and an optimist who always had a smile on her face.

"She was the one who supported others during difficult times, when some people were in despair. She always had a kind word for others. This is a huge loss for our school. Her family was very close-knit – that is rare these days," the teacher said.

Tetiana Usenko, head of the school attended by Federika, Zakharii and Viorika, said that the children's classmates still cannot speak about them without tears.

What is known about the tragedy

On the night of 29-30 July, Russian forces attacked the Kryvyi Rih district. A ballistic missile struck a house in the settlement of Radushne, where the large Voronov family lived.

Artem Voronov, 47, and his wife Olena, 41, were raising 10 children. Seven of them were at home with their parents that night: 17-year-old Mark, 16-year-old Dominika, 14-year-old Viorika, 13-year-old Zakharii, 11-year-old Azarii-Ilai, nine-year-old Federika and six-year-old Emiliia.

Their 18-month-old grandson, Artem, was also visiting. He was the son of their eldest son, Danylo, a serviceman living in Mykolaiv. The boy was due to return home that weekend and had already been enrolled in nursery.

Before the latest forensic findings, the deaths of only five family members had been officially confirmed: the parents, Olena and Artem, and three children – Mark, Azarii-Ilai and Emiliia.

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