“Russia destroys future of Ukraine”: Russian missile strike killed three siblings aged 8, 12, 17

Ukrainians held a public farewell ceremony for three siblings who died in a Russian missile attack on 25 May.

The victims were 8-year-old Stanislav, 12-year-old Tamara, and 17-year-old Roman from the Martyniuk family, who lived in Korosten, central Zhytomyr Oblast near Kyiv, according to Hromadske.

Several hundred people attended the ceremony, including family members, teachers, and community members.

The funeral procession moved from a church service to the city cultural center, where crowds filled the square. Attendees formed long lines to place flowers at the coffins, with bouquets arriving continuously throughout the ceremony.

Roman was scheduled to graduate high school within days of his death. His graduation ribbon was placed on the funeral hearse. Pavlo Pozdniakov, director of Lyceum No. 1 where the children studied, described Roman as passionate about Ukrainian history and confident in physics, a subject many students find challenging.

"Roman was on the threshold of his graduation, preparing for university entrance exams and was passionately interested in Ukrainian history. He would argue his point. Along with history, he studied physics. Children are afraid of this difficult subject, but Roman said: no, it's easy," Pozdniakov shared.

Both younger siblings attended the local music school, where they studied the domra, a traditional stringed instrument.

Music teacher Larisa Vasilivna recalled teaching Tamara just days before her death, noting the difficulty of accepting the loss of students she knew personally. The children were reportedly preparing for their music school graduation when they died.

"This is the future of our country, the future of our nation, which Russia is now destroying," Larisa Vasilivna said.

School director Kateryna Grabchuk characterized the siblings as well-behaved students. Teachers remembered Tamara leading her younger brother to classes and both children excelling academically. Tamara had expressed interest in becoming a mathematics teacher like her mother.

The children's parents were injured in the same attack. Their mother remains hospitalized, while their father attended the funeral with one of their two adult sons, aged 24 and 26.

The attack occurred during a large-scale Russian assault that targeted 13 Ukrainian regions with 69 missiles and 298 drones. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 45 missiles and 266 drones. The strikes resulted in 13 deaths and over 60 injuries nationwide, with Zhytomyr Oblast recording three fatalities and 12 injuries. Korosten mayor Yurii Denysovets declared 25 May "a black day in the city's history."