Funeral of 3 siblings killed in Russian strike underscores mounting toll on Ukrainian families

KOROSTYSHIV, Ukraine (AP) — Three coffins — one adult-sized, one medium and one child-sized — lay Wednesday inside the Soviet-era Palace of Culture in this northern Ukrainian city, surrounded by dozens of bouquets as a church choir sang farewell prayers.

Hundreds of residents stood in grim silence. Some wept quietly. Others broke down completely.

The funeral was for 8-year-old Tamara, 12-year-old Stanislav, and 17-year-old Roman Martyniuk — siblings from the same family.

They were killed over the weekend when debris from a Russian cruise missile slammed into their home in Korostyshiv, a city of 24,000 residents about 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of Kyiv, during an aerial barrage. It struck at 3 a.m. as they slept in their beds.

“I saw destruction, great destruction. All the houses were razed and shattered,” said Volodymyr Demchenko, the family’s 77-year-old neighbor, recalling the night when the missile landed 500 meters (yards) from his home.

The children’s deaths underscore the mounting toll on Ukrainian families as Moscow ramps up its strikes amid faltering peace efforts. It was one of several recent tragedies in which children and teenagers have died, revealing a grim pattern as hopes for a ceasefire fade and Russian attacks continue to target civilian areas. “The three kids were incredibly bright, incredibly polite, the smartest, best students, always ready to help, always ready to support others,” said 22-year-old Yuliia Skok, the eldest sibling’s teacher.

Moscow denies targeting civilians, but abundant evidence shows otherwise.

The children’s father, still bearing fresh injuries, was released from the hospital to attend the funeral. He and his two surviving children sat beside the coffins — a scene that has become heartbreakingly familiar in a war now grinding through its fourth year. Their mother remained hospitalized.

At least 209 civilians were killed and 1,146 injured across Ukraine in April, making it the deadliest month for civilians since September 2024, according to the U.N. human rights office. The toll was 23% higher than in March and 84% higher than in April 2024.

Among the victims were at least 19 children, while another 78 were injured — more than the combined total of the previous four months. It was the highest verified monthly number of child casualties since June 2022.

The deadliest single strike on children since the start of the invasion occurred April 4 in the central city of Kryvyi Rih, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown. A ballistic missile exploded over a park, playground and restaurant, scattering thousands of metal fragments that killed 20 civilians — including seven boys and two girls — and injured 63 others, the U.N. said.

Nearly half of April’s civilian casualties were caused by missile attacks, many involving powerful explosive weapons targeting densely populated urban areas such as Kryvyi Rih, Sumy, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv and Kharkiv. In several cases, Russian forces used fragmentation warheads that detonated mid-air, spreading shrapnel over wide areas.

One of the deadliest such attacks occurred April 13 in the northern city of Sumy, where two ballistic missiles struck the historic city center minutes apart. The blasts killed at least 31 civilians — including two young boys — and injured 105. Many victims were caught in the open while rushing to help those wounded in the first explosion or while riding a bus near the impact zone.

According to Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office, at least 630 children have been killed since the start of the war, and more than 1,960 injured.

Korostyshiv, a town rarely shaken by tragedy of this scale, stood united in mourning Wednesday.

“They were some talented children who were supposed to keep living, but sadly, the war took their lives. We are very sad, the entire school and the community are mourning,” Skok said.

Mourners passed slowly by the coffins to pay their final respects. Some placed flowers. Others could barely walk.

“This is an irreparable loss that will leave a deep mark in the hearts of each of us,” Zhytomyr regional Gov. Vitalii Bunechko in a statement. “We bow our heads in memory of the children whose lives were cut short by Russian missiles.”