Full Breakdown
Funeral of Two Sisters Highlights Civilian Toll of Russian Missile Strikes in Kyiv
5/20/2026, 2:30:38 AM
Funeral at St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery
On May 19, 2026, a funeral was held at St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv for Liubava Yakovlieva, 12, and Vira Yakovlieva, 17, who died in a Russian missile strike on May 14 that killed 24 people. Their mother, Tetiana Yakovlieva, sat beside the two white coffins as the only surviving immediate family member; their father, Yevhen Yakovliev, had been killed in combat in 2023.
Family Background
Yevhen Yakovliev enlisted after Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022 and was killed near Dibrova in the Luhansk region on April 7, 2023, leaving Tetiana a widow before the loss of her daughters.
Personal Testimonies
At the service, Tetiana expressed the depth of her grief, saying she could not know whether her daughters were alive until rescuers arrived. Dmytro Koval, the art-college instructor who taught Vira, described the loss as extremely painful and warned against false hopes for peace. Family friend Tetiana Osipova recalled the children’s difficulty coping after their father’s death and noted the new magnitude of sorrow. Priest Efrem Khomiak framed the ceremony as a collective national mourning, stating that the tragedy belongs to all Ukrainians.
National Significance
The funeral drew former comrades of Yevhen and dozens of schoolchildren, illustrating how the war’s civilian toll reverberates across generations and unites the public in shared mourning.
Verbatim Quotes
“I lost their father, my husband, a defender of Ukraine. I don’t know if they are alive or if they have already gone to be with their father,” Tetiana Yakovlieva said. “That it is very painful — those words will tell you nothing until you feel it yourself.” — Tetiana Yakovlieva, Mother
“When death is sown among those you saw and knew just yesterday, it is always very hard, unspeakably hard,” Dmytro Koval said. “We must not live on illusions, on empty dreams, on hopes for some negotiations, because our neighbors are not oriented toward peace.” — Dmytro Koval, Art-College Instructor
“This is an unnatural order of things, when parents bury their children,” Efrem Khomiak said. “This funeral, this grief, this tragedy, it is not only your family’s. It belongs to all of Ukraine. Because we are all bound together in this war.” — Efrem Khomiak, Priest
“The children had a very hard time coping with the loss of their father,” Tetiana Osipova said. — Tetiana Osipova, Family Friend
What’s Next
Tetiana Yakovlieva said she will honor her husband and daughters by continuing to act in their name, committing to preserve their memory amid the ongoing conflict.
