Ukrainian Family Mourns Relatives Killed in Russian Drone Strike

Olga Kryvogub hoped her baby daughter would one day see an end to Russia’s invasion, so she named her Myroslava – meaning “one who celebrates peace.”

Myroslava was instead laid to rest on Friday, alongside her brothers, twins Ivan and Vladislav, and their father, Grigory, all of whom died in a Russian drone strike on their home in a town close to the Russian border three days earlier.

“Everything collapsed in one fell swoop,” Natalia Kryvogub, a 32-year-old relative, told AFP.

Olga, 34, is eight months pregnant. 

She survived the attack on Tuesday but sustained a brain injury and burns.

“She is in a lot of pain,” 24-year-old relative Oleksandra told AFP. 

“Her whole world was taken away from her, all the warmth, leaving her with pain and disappointment.”

Grigory and the children were sleeping when the drone hit, Oleksandra said.

At their funeral, relatives placed soft toys and flowers on the coffins.

“We named her Myroslava, so that the war would end. But the war took her away,” Oleksandra told AFP.

US-led efforts to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II have accelerated in recent weeks, but Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on key issues including territory.

Ukraine and its European allies say Russia -- which denies targeting civilians – is not interested in peace.