Young Kyiv couple killed in Russian airstrike was preparing for wedding
Kyiv bid farewell to a 24-year-old teacher who died along with her beloved during a massive Russian strike. "Instead of a wedding, we had to prepare a funeral," say relatives.
Maryna Homeniuk embraces Yuriy Orlov, February 9, 2026, in Kyiv. Photo: provided by a friend of the couple
Kyiv bid farewell to Maryna — a talented English teacher who knew about ten languages (including Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese) and loved animals very much. She and her beloved, 30-year-old former hockey player and captain of the Kyiv floorball club Yuriy Orlov, became victims of a massive Russian shelling on Thursday, May 14.
A cruise missile completely destroyed their high-rise building in the Darnytskyi district, claiming the lives of 24 people. The story of the young couple, whose dreams of marriage and children were shattered by the Russian strike, was told by The Associated Press agency.
After the start of the full-scale invasion four years ago, Maryna Homeniuk left for the Czech Republic, where she successfully completed her studies and learned Vietnamese. Friends say that the girl had exceptional abilities and knew about 10 languages, including Chinese and Korean. In addition, she was very sensitive: she rescued homeless animals and loved to travel.
In 2023, Maryna decided to return to Ukraine, where she met Yuriy Orlov through a dating app.
Despite different passions — he lived for sports, she for art — the couple was inseparable. The girl attended every one of his Sunday matches, Yuriy taught her to play floorball, and she taught him English.
The couple dreamed of starting a family, but winter in Kyiv was difficult due to constant shelling. They often considered moving from the Darnytskyi district, where electricity was restored last after attacks on energy infrastructure, but they did not have the financial means to do so.
A rescuer walks through the ruins of a house damaged by a Russian strike in Kyiv, May 14, 2026. Photo: AP Photo / Evgeniy Maloletka
During the farewell, Maryna's friends could not hold back their emotions. They hoped to bury the couple together, but Yuriy's body was not yet ready for burial at that moment.
"She was a very caring person. I am very bitter, she had so many dreams. She worked with children and herself very much wanted to have children someday, when safer times come," says Alesya Yukhnovich, a close friend. "I was supposed to help prepare for the wedding, but instead, I helped prepare for the funeral. It's terrible."
Alesya also recalled the moments after the tragedy on May 14, when she wrote to Maryna, not yet knowing about the horror.
"You never think that something can happen to someone close, and you just write to them as a warning. I would never have thought that this would be one of those times when the message would remain unread," she says.
That massive strike was called by the military one of the largest shellings of Kyiv in the entire war.
On the morning of May 17, the commander of the UAV Forces of Ukraine, Robert "Madyar" Brovdi, called the attack of Ukrainian drones on Moscow and the region a response to the deaths of civilians in Kyiv and stated that "the season ticket for a peaceful life for the Russian capital has been canceled."
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