A grandmother says goodbye to her grandchildren Roman Martyniuk, 17, Tamara Martyniuk, 8, and Stanislav Martyniuk, 12, killed in a Russian strike on Sunday, during farewell ceremony in Korostyshiv, Zhytomyr region, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Funeral workers carry coffins during a funeral ceremony for Tamara Martyniuk, 8, Stanislav Martyniuk, 12, and Roman Martyniuk, 17, killed in a Russian strike on Sunday, in Korostyshiv, Zhytomyr region, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A woman cries during a funeral ceremony for Tamara Martyniuk, 8, Stanislav Martyniuk, 12, and Roman Martyniuk, 17, killed in a Russian strike on Sunday, in Korostyshiv, Zhytomyr region, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
People cry during a funeral ceremony for Tamara Martyniuk, 8, Stanislav Martyniuk, 12, and Roman Martyniuk, 17, killed in a Russian strike on Sunday, in Korostyshiv, Zhytomyr region, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Local residents line up to enter a funeral ceremony for Tamara Martyniuk, 8, Stanislav Martyniuk, 12, and Roman Martyniuk, 17, killed in a Russian strike on Sunday, in Korostyshiv, Zhytomyr region, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A grandmother says goodbye to her grandchildren Roman Martyniuk, 17, Tamara Martyniuk, 8, and Stanislav Martyniuk, 12, killed in a Russian strike on Sunday, during farewell ceremony in Korostyshiv, Zhytomyr region, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
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Funeral workers carry coffins during a funeral ceremony for Tamara Martyniuk, 8, Stanislav Martyniuk, 12, and Roman Martyniuk, 17, killed in a Russian strike on Sunday, in Korostyshiv, Zhytomyr region, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
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A woman cries during a funeral ceremony for Tamara Martyniuk, 8, Stanislav Martyniuk, 12, and Roman Martyniuk, 17, killed in a Russian strike on Sunday, in Korostyshiv, Zhytomyr region, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
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People cry during a funeral ceremony for Tamara Martyniuk, 8, Stanislav Martyniuk, 12, and Roman Martyniuk, 17, killed in a Russian strike on Sunday, in Korostyshiv, Zhytomyr region, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
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Local residents line up to enter a funeral ceremony for Tamara Martyniuk, 8, Stanislav Martyniuk, 12, and Roman Martyniuk, 17, killed in a Russian strike on Sunday, in Korostyshiv, Zhytomyr region, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
KOROSTYSHIV, Ukraine (AP) — Three open coffins, one adult-sized, one medium and one child-sized, lay inside the Soviet-era Palace of Culture in a northern Ukrainian city. They were surrounded by dozens of bouquets Wednesday as a church choir sang farewell prayers, and hundreds of residents stood in grim silence.
The siblings, aged 8, 12 and 17, were killed over the weekend when debris from a Russian cruise missile slammed into their home in Korostyshiv, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of Kyiv, during an aerial barrage. The attack came at 3 a.m. as they slept in their beds.
The children’s deaths underscore the mounting toll on Ukrainian families as Moscow ramps up its strikes amid faltering peace efforts. It was one of several recent tragedies in which children and teenagers have died, revealing a grim pattern as Russian attacks continue to target civilian areas.
Moscow denies targeting civilians, but abundant evidence shows otherwise. The children’s father, still bearing fresh injuries, was released from the hospital to attend the funeral. He and his two surviving children sat beside the coffins — a scene that has become heartbreakingly familiar in a war now grinding through its fourth year. Their mother remained hospitalized. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
