On Jan. 14, 2023, a Russian missile smashed into an apartment building in the city of Dnipro – killing 46 people and injuring hundreds more in one of the deadliest single attacks on Ukraine since its independence. President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that 1,700 people lived in this high-rise building, with 230 apartments damaged and 72 completely destroyed by Russia’s Kh-22 missile.

Though the search and rescue operation has been completed three days after the strike, the devastating effects are still being felt across Ukraine. Among those 46 killed were six children, 11 unidentified bodies remain, and 11 people are still missing as of Jan. 19.

The Kyiv Independent has reported multiple stories detailing some of these victims’ experiences prior to the attack – from Yevhen Frantsev, who lost his 39-year-old daughter Oksana and two granddaughters, to Anastasiia Shvets, who had her photograph sitting on the ruins go viral on social media after her parents were killed. Mykhailo Kurenovskyi was another victim identified as a well-known local boxing coach who lived on the top floor. The Kyiv Independent also remembers two friends – dentists Iryna Salamatenko and Olha Usova – who passed by when Russia launched its hellacious assault on Ukraine.

We must remember these victims to honor their memory and ensure that such tragedy never happens again. The impact of this missile strike cannot be understated; let us pay our respects to those who were lost due to it.

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