Following a Russian missile strike on Kyiv on July 8, 2024, nearly an entire family perished: the hearts of a mother and her two young children ceased beating under the rubble of their home.
Maxym was born on November 29, 2013, and Anastasia on September 9, 2015, to Zoryana and Vasyl Symaniuk. It seemed nothing could ruin the happiness of these two little angels! Like all their peers, they grew up, studied, and attended Kyiv’s School No. 28 while also being actively involved in sports. Maxym chose karate, attending the “Champion” club and training under Volodymyr Boyev, while Nastya pursued rhythmic gymnastics at the Children’s Youth Sports School No. 20, under the guidance of Valentyna Panchenko.
Teachers spoke only good things about the Symaniuk children. They were responsible, diligent, hardworking, friendly, sociable, and completely non-conflictual. They were also exceptionally determined. Despite the challenges of rhythmic gymnastics, Nastya never wanted to quit, and Maxym, in addition to karate, dreamed of joining a football team. Every evening, he would go to the school stadium where children gathered to play, joining one of the teams. Teachers recall that both children excelled academically, worked hard in lessons, and took their failures to heart because they always gave their best. They loved reading and often told their homeroom teachers about the new books their mother had bought them. She also always prepared something delicious for them to take to school, a task Zoryana, a chef, devoted much time to. Vasyl, their father, was a farmer.
When the full-scale invasion began, the family moved to the Rivne region but returned to Kyiv by the start of the school year in the summer of 2022. The parents wanted their children to attend their native school and continue developing and learning despite the circumstances. In May 2024, Maxym completed the fourth grade, and Anastasia finished the third. Ahead of them lay a carefree summer and a vacation for their mother, with her first day off falling on that tragic Monday, July 8. That morning, an air raid siren blared across the city. Many were heading to work, some were getting ready, while others were still sleeping. No one could have imagined that, just minutes later, ambulances and rescue teams would be racing through the streets.
That sunny morning, Russian invaders launched a missile strike on Kyiv, killing 33 people, injuring over 100, and destroying 129 buildings. The entrance to the building where the Symaniuk family lived was no more. When everyone tried calling Zoryana, Maxym, and Nastya, their phones went unanswered. Their father immediately rushed to the building, holding onto hope that they would be rescued alive from under the rubble, but, tragically, a miracle did not occur. The lives of 40-year-old Zoryana, 10-year-old Maxym, and 8-year-old Anastasia were taken by a Russian missile, leaving their father to face unimaginable grief alone.