Young Kyiv couple killed in a fierce Russian airstrike hoped to start a family, mourners say

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Like many Ukrainians, Maryna Homeniuk fled her homeland after Russia's full-scale invasion four years ago. She managed to complete her degree in the Czech Republic, adding Vietnamese to her impressive list of languages, before returning home the following year and meeting her beloved, Yurii Orlov.

Homeniuk and Orlov, who captained the Kyiv Floorball Club after playing hockey for teams in the Ukrainian capital, were among the 24 people killed Thursday during a terrifying wave of Russian airstrikes that Ukrainian military officials described as the biggest barrage of the war. A cruise missile flattened their apartment building.

On Saturday, friends and family paid their final respects to Homeniuk, a 24-year-old English teacher. They had hoped to pay tribute to Orlov, too, but his body wasn't ready for burial yet.

“She was a very caring person. I feel very sorry, because she had so many dreams. She worked with children and wanted to have children herself someday, when times were safer,” her friend Olesia Yukhnovych told The Associated Press.

The couple met on a dating app after Homeniuk returned to Ukraine in 2023 from the Czech Republic, where she studied Vietnamese. Friends say she spoke about 10 languages, including fluent Korean and Chinese.

A sensitive soul, she took in abandoned animals, friends said. She also loved seeing the world and would save up for adventures in new countries.

“This is a young person. This is a girl who had absolutely the whole future ahead of her,” said Anastasiia Petrushyna, a friend and colleague. “This future will no longer exist — our youth basically can’t have it. You never know what trouble awaits you.”

Friends said they were glad Homeniuk met Orlov, who was 30 years old when they died. Despite their differences — he loved sports and she loved art — it was obvious to everyone that they cared deeply for one another.

Homeniuk went to every one of his games on Sundays, it was their tradition. He taught her how to play floorball, a version of floor hockey, and she taught him how to speak English.

“It’s a shame. I should have been helping prepare for the wedding and I ended up helping prepare for the funeral,” said Yukhnovych. “It’s horrible.”

Their deaths followed a very difficult winter of relentless Russian attacks on Kyiv. Yukhnovych said they often spoke about wanting to relocate from their neighborhood, Darnytsia, in Kyiv’s left bank, where power cuts were restored later than in other parts of the city, but couldn't afford to do so.

Yukhnovych said she texted Homeniuk after Thursday's attack but got no reply.

“You never think something could happen to someone close to you, and you just message them as a precaution,” she said. “I never thought this would be one of those times when the message would remain unread.”