A boy who dreamed of becoming a footballer. Kyrylo dreamed of the game and cheered wholeheartedly for his beloved FC Kryvbas. He trained at Youth Sports School No. 1 “Kryvbas-84,” where he was active, attentive, and diligent during every session. He often came with his father to the club’s home matches — football was an essential part of his life.
He was only ten on that terrible day. On November 11, 2024, Russian terrorists carried out a missile strike on Kryvyi Rih. A hit on a five-storey residential building took the lives of nearly the entire Kulyk family.
In the apartment on the third floor were his mother, 32-year-old Olena Kulyk, and the three children — Kyrylo, two-year-old Demyd, and two-month-old Uliana. Part of the building collapsed, and the search-and-rescue operation lasted more than 14 hours. When the bodies of the children were recovered, even the rescuers wept… Only Maksym, the father of the family, survived.
On November 14, 2024, a farewell service was held at the House of Prayer. Relatives, neighbours, friends, colleagues, and concerned residents of the city came. Kyrylo’s coach was there as well — the one under whose guidance the boy grew as a player. He spoke of his student with warmth: polite, well-mannered, always open to other children. The whole team received the news as a tragedy — the boys cried right on the pitch.
At the Hirnyk Stadium, where Kyrylo had often stood beside his father, a figure of the boy now stands — a tribute to a child whose whole life lay ahead of him.
Eternal memory to Kyrylo and to all the innocent children whose lives were taken.