Five Voronov children buried after Russian strike killed 10 relatives

By Yusuf İnan | Wise News Press

RADUSHNE, UKRAINE — Five children from the Voronov family, killed in a Russian missile strike on July 30, were buried in Radushne on October 19 after months of DNA testing established their identities.

The attack destroyed the family’s home near Kryvyi Rih in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, killing parents Olena and Artem Voronov, seven of their children and their young grandson. The parents and three children were buried in August; the other five children remained listed as missing while identification work continued.

DNA testing confirmed the children’s identities

According to Suspilne correspondents reporting from the funeral, relatives said their final farewells to 16-year-old Dominika, 14-year-old Viorika, 13-year-old Zakharii, nine-year-old Federika and one-and-a-half-year-old Artem on October 19, 2026.

Ukrinform, citing the Novopillia Village Council, reported that their identities had been established through DNA examinations lasting several months. The council said the children would be buried alongside their relatives.

The funeral followed more than two months of uncertainty over the identification of those who had been inside the house. Although relatives had described the destruction immediately after the strike, formal identification of the five children required further examinations.

The October ceremony concerned victims of the July attack, rather than a new strike. Their parents and three other children had already been laid to rest on August 3.

Three generations were killed in one home

Hromadske’s reporting identified the parents as 41-year-old Olena and 47-year-old Artem. Their seven children killed in the attack were Mark, 17; Dominika, 16; Viorika, 14; Zakharii, 13; Azarii-Ilai, 11; Federika, nine; and Emiliia, seven.

The youngest victim, Artem, was their grandson. He was visiting his grandparents when the missile struck.

The couple had 10 children in total. Their three older children—Aurika, Matvii and Danylo—were not in the house and survived. Ukrinform reported that Aurika lived in Germany, Matvii in Poland, and Danylo served in the Ukrainian armed forces.

The eight children killed therefore comprised seven siblings and their nephew. Ten relatives across three generations died in the same house.

The first funeral took place in August

In its August 3 report from Radushne, Ukrinform described residents gathering outside the local lyceum to mourn Olena and Artem, together with Mark, Azarii-Ilai and Emiliia.

People brought flowers and soft toys. A school bell rang, and mourners knelt as they paid their respects. The funeral brought together relatives, neighbors and members of the school community.

At that stage, identification work concerning the other five children was still pending. The August ceremony therefore took place while the family continued waiting for answers about the remaining victims.

The October funeral allowed relatives to bury the five children alongside those they had mourned earlier.

Danylo lost his parents, siblings and son

Speaking to Suspilne after the attack, the family’s eldest son, Danylo Voronov, said his sister in Germany had called him during the night.

Initially, he was told there had been a strike near the house. His grandmother subsequently called to say the home had been destroyed, prompting him to travel to Radushne.

“I lost my parents, my sisters, my brothers and my son.”

Danylo said his young son, Artem, often stayed with his grandparents. He remembered him as cheerful and energetic, particularly fond of pressing the keys of a piano.

Arrangements had been made for Artem to attend a kindergarten in Mykolaiv. His family had planned to bring him home that weekend.

Danylo had also intended to go fishing with his brother Mark and play chess with his father, who had taught him the game as a child.

According to Danylo, the family moved into the house in 2020. His parents worked several jobs to support their children, who helped one another with household tasks.

Friends and teachers remembered their ambitions

Dominika’s classmate and close friend Karina told Suspilne that she remembered her as warm and sincere. Dominika enjoyed beadwork, and Karina still kept a pendant her friend had made for her.

Another classmate, Sofiia, remembered Dominika as someone who was always smiling.

Mark’s teacher, Tetiana Vynohradova, told Ukrinform that the 17-year-old studied railway transport at a vocational college affiliated with Kryvyi Rih National University. He wanted to become a train driver or assistant driver.

She said his academic performance had improved during his studies and that he had earned a scholarship. Mark would have turned 18 on August 20.

Relatives described their final visits and long wait

Aurika, the family’s eldest daughter, told Suspilne that her mother had visited her abroad shortly before the attack. Olena returned to Ukraine just one day before the missile struck.

Aurika said she initially hoped the explosion had occurred nearby and that someone from the family might have survived. She struggled to accept that the visit had been the last time she would see her mother.

The children’s grandmother, Nelia, said she reached the scene about half an hour after the explosion and found only the foundations remaining. Throughout the subsequent months, she had hoped that every family member would be found and identified.

Hromadske’s correspondent reported seeing schoolbooks, children’s drawings and achievement certificates among the wreckage. Residents brought flowers and toys to a memorial displaying photographs of those killed.

Zelensky called for air defense support after the strike

In his July 30 address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a ballistic missile had struck a family home directly in Radushne. He offered condolences to those who had lost relatives.

According to the transcript published by the Kherson regional administration, Zelensky said preliminary findings pointed to a North Korean missile. He also stressed that further examinations were needed to verify that assessment.

In the same address, he urged Ukraine’s international partners to provide additional air defense ammunition. He identified missiles for Patriot, NASAMS, IRIS-T and other systems as a priority.

Zelensky said expressions of sympathy and condemnation needed to be accompanied by practical support capable of protecting civilians. He linked the availability of air defense missiles to Ukraine’s ability to protect people from further attacks, calling on partners to recognize that lives depended on their assistance.

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