Following a Devastating Missile Strike on a Ukrainian Café: Grief and a Quest for Answers

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In the aftermath of a tragic missile strike that shattered the tranquility of a small Ukrainian village, United Nations (U.N.) and local investigators embarked on a quest for answers. This harrowing incident, which claimed the lives of nearly 52 people gathered for a soldier’s wake, has left the community grappling with profound grief and seeking solace amid the ruins of their only café.

According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other high-ranking officials in Kyiv, the strike, executed by a Russian missile, transformed the village of Hroza into a scene of devastation. The café, once a bustling hub for villagers, now lay in ruins, and the solemn occasion intended to commemorate a fallen soldier, Andriy Kozyr, turned into a tragedy of unimaginable proportions.

The United Nations Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) dispatched a team to Hroza to ascertain the details of this catastrophic event. On Saturday, they engaged in conversations with local residents and survivors, aiming to shed light on the circumstances surrounding this calamity. Danielle Bell, the leader of the investigative team, expressed her preliminary findings, stating that the vast majority of the victims were civilians. The target itself, the café and store, was evidently civilian in nature. Bell’s words resonate as a somber reminder of the profound toll that Russia’s invasion has exacted upon Ukraine’s civilian population.

The café, which once buzzed with life, was reduced to rubble in an instant, claiming the lives of entire families. The wake for Andriy Kozyr, who had bravely fought against Russia’s invading forces, was abruptly cut short. Kozyr’s family had endured more than 15 months of separation, as his native village remained under Russian occupation. Only after DNA tests confirmed his identity did they decide to reinter him in Hroza, reopening the café to honor his memory. Tragically, his son Dmytro Kozyr, also a soldier, and his wife Nina, who was on the brink of celebrating her 21st birthday, were among the casualties. As of Saturday, Ukrainian authorities estimated the death toll at 52.

Remarkably, only six individuals survived the missile strike, leaving the community bewildered and grappling with profound questions about why and how this wake became the target of such a devastating attack. Dmytro Chubenko, the spokesman for the regional prosecutor, revealed that investigators were exploring the possibility that someone from the area may have transmitted the café’s coordinates to the Russians—a betrayal that has left the entire village in mourning.

Among those mourning are Kateryna Tarannyk and her brother Dmytro Androsovych, who bid farewell to their parents during the funeral. Tetiana Androsovych, aged 60, and Mykola Androsovych, aged 63, were buried alongside fellow villagers under a somber, rain-soaked sky. Tarannyk, who had fled to Slovakia with her child during the early days of the war, was devastated by the news of the missile strike. Just a week before, her parents had visited her in Slovakia, and they had made plans for her child to visit them in the spring. With profound sadness, Tarannyk approached each casket, silently bidding farewell and gently stroking the dark green velvet fabric covering the coffins. She spoke with anger about the missile strike, describing it as “treacherous, cruel, and unjust.”

Oleksii Androsovych, Mykola’s brother, rushed to the café immediately after the missile hit and discovered his brother’s lifeless body beside his wife, whose head had been tragically severed. For Oleksii, this marked the beginning of a series of funerals for friends and neighbors that will unfold in Hroza in the days and possibly months to come, as not all victims have been identified yet.

Ukrainian law enforcement has painstakingly identified 48 out of the 52 civilians who perished in the missile blast. Serhii Bolvinov, the chief police investigator for Kharkiv province, described the efforts as “gathering up dead bodies, literally piece by piece.”

Hroza, a village that once boasted a population of around 500 before the war, fell under Russian control early in the conflict but was later recaptured by Ukraine in September 2022, along with neighboring areas. Situated just 30 kilometers west of Kupiansk, a focal point of Russian military activity, it found itself in the crosshairs of geopolitical tensions.

Ukrainian authorities reported that the village was struck by a precision Iskander-style missile, renowned for its accuracy within a 5 to 7-meter radius.

In a separate incident, a pro-Kremlin politician in Ukraine’s Russian-occupied south succumbed to injuries sustained in a car bombing. While the identity of those responsible remains unclear, guerilla forces aligned with Kyiv have been operating covertly behind enemy lines, targeting pro-Moscow officials and assisting the Ukrainian military.

Tragically, civilian casualties continue to mount as Russian shelling and missile strikes ravage Ukraine’s southern and eastern regions. Amidst this backdrop of sorrow and devastation, the resilient spirit of the Ukrainian people persists, as they navigate the profound challenges that have beset their nation.

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More about Missile Strike aftermath

• Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
• United Nations Monitoring Mission in Ukraine
• Iskander Missile System
• Ukraine Conflict Overview