Kyiv couple killed in Russian airstrike remembered as future plans end in grief
Maryna Homeniuk and Yurii Orlov were remembered on Saturday by friends and family as a young couple whose plans for a life together were cut short during Russian airstrikes on Kyiv. Homeniuk, 24, and Orlov, 30, were among the 24 people killed Thursday, when Ukrainian military officials described a wave of strikes as the biggest barrage of the war. Friends said their apartment building was hit by a cruise missile.
In the days after the deaths, relatives and acquaintances focused on Homeniuk’s work and aspirations, describing her as caring and shaped by a desire to help others. One friend said Homeniuk worked with children and wanted to have children herself someday, when times were safer, and added that she had “so many dreams” that will not be fulfilled.
The account also emphasized Orlov’s role in local sports and the couple’s routines. Friends said Orlov captained the Kyiv Floorball Club after playing hockey for teams in Kyiv, and that Homeniuk attended his games every Sunday, calling it their tradition. Friends said their relationship reflected complementary interests, with Orlov and Homeniuk sharing a bond despite differences in what they loved.
Homeniuk’s return to Ukraine after the invasion was central to how friends described her path to meeting Orlov. They said she fled after Russia’s full-scale invasion and completed her degree in the Czech Republic, where she studied Vietnamese before returning home the following year and meeting Orlov. Friends said she also spoke about 10 languages, including fluent Korean and Chinese, and described her as someone who took in abandoned animals and saved up for adventures in other countries.
Friends said Homeniuk and Orlov met through a dating app after she returned to Ukraine in 2023. They described the couple as planning a wedding while also navigating the pressures of the war, including hardship in their neighborhood, Darnytsia, on Kyiv’s left bank. A friend said residents there often experienced power cuts being restored later than in other parts of the city, and that she and Homeniuk had talked about relocating but could not afford to do so.
Saturday’s farewells also reflected a lingering uncertainty for Orlov’s family. Friends said they had hoped to bury Orlov as well, but his body wasn’t ready for burial yet. Another friend said it was “a shame” and described being pulled away from preparations for a wedding to help prepare for the funeral instead.
Friends said they learned of the deaths only after Thursday’s attack unfolded and that they had tried to reach Homeniuk afterward. One friend said she texted Homeniuk after the strike but got no reply, adding, “You never think something could happen to someone close to you, and you just message them as a precaution,” and saying she did not expect the message would remain unread.