Kyiv Region Mourns Mother and Son Killed in Weekend Strike
A mother and her young son were laid to rest in the Kyiv region after a weekend attack, as the family disputes official findings on the cause.
Mourners gathered in the Kyiv region on Thursday to bid farewell to a woman and her young son who were killed in an attack over the weekend.
Yaroslav Horbachenko wept beside the white coffins carrying the remains of his wife, Nataliia, and their son, Tymofyi. He said the boy was the couple's third child, recalling that his wife had long hoped for a son.
Friends and relatives laid flowers, stuffed toys and toy cars around the child's small coffin, taking turns to say their final goodbyes. Two school friends of Nataliia, Julia Kornienko and Inna Kolodub, remembered her as a radiant presence. Kolodub said Nataliia had been a close friend and the godmother to her middle daughter, describing the loss as devastating for both families.
Horbachenko said his wife and son were killed when a Ukrainian air defence missile struck their home. He said the missile did not explode but landed on the exact spot where the two were sitting on a sofa, and that it was not a Shahed drone but one of Ukraine's own missiles.
Preliminary official findings, however, indicate the building was hit by an enemy unmanned aerial vehicle. No official comment has been made on the discrepancy between those findings and the family's account.
Russia has stepped up attacks on the Ukrainian capital in recent weeks, mounting strikes by day and night and targeting warehouses, gas stations and railways.