After Losing Family in Russia’s Strike on Kyiv, Teen Girl Vows to Become a Soldier

Yana looks bluntly into the camera, saying she feels well and has almost recovered physically. Behind her intense stare, you can see an overwhelming pain that no child should endure.

After peacefully falling asleep on the night of April 23, 14-year-old Yana found herself under the rubble of her own home. A heating battery that fell on her created a pocket of space that allowed her to breathe. She remembers being cold and unable to feel her legs.

During a large-scale attack on Kyiv on April 24, a Russian missile struck near Yana’s house. A nearby police officer stated it was a North Korean missile.

Right after the strike, Yana realized what had happened. Not hearing her family nearby, she assumed they had already been rescued. However, the strike had killed her parents, Oleh and Viktoriia, and her 17-year-old brother, Danylo.

Yana’s other brother, Ihor, who is now her guardian, recalls receiving a message from his sister shortly after the strike: “It’s difficult to breathe, quickly, Ihor, I’m dying.” Trapped with her in the rubble was also her cat, Koksyk.

What stands out immediately is Yana’s energy. Despite recent injuries, including a broken rib and fractured leg, she is almost running to greet her friends. Ihor gently reminds her to take it slow, urging her to wait until her leg fully heals.

Yana shares her story while standing in front of what remains of her house, specifically, a single wall that was once part of the kitchen. She explains what helps her cope with the trauma.

“My brother tries to cheer me up every day, he’s very strong,” Yana says. “He doesn’t cry, like I do, and does everything in his power to make sure I have everything I need.”

What also helps Yana cope emotionally are computer games, such as the shooter game Counter-Strike, and, as she admits, smoking.

Yana’s cat Koksyk, whom she managed to save, reminds her of her brother Danylo, who used to play with the pet frequently. She recalls making space for Koksyk under the rubble and feeling proud that she was able to rescue her. Another cat, Tusia, also survived. Yana says Tusia was very attached to their mother and now sometimes cries.

Like any siblings, Danylo and Yana had their share of fights, but she always looked up to him.

“I’m the captain of the volleyball team. I started playing volleyball to get closer to Danylo,” she says, adding that her brother used to play volleyball, he was captain of the team, and also enjoyed football and basketball. “He had these blue shorts, just like the ones basketball players in America wear, which I often borrowed from him.”

Yana remembers the time she spent with her mother, walking around the nearby stadium and drinking coffee. Her aunt, Viktoriia’s sister, often visited, and they would gather in the kitchen, laughing together.

Yana’s father, Oleh, who served as a tank crewman during Russia’s full-scale invasion, often told her she was naturally beautiful. Once, when Viktoriia refused to let Yana dye her hair, she turned to her father. Just minutes before the store closed, he told her to run inside and ask for a random color. It turned out to be ginger. He told her it looked beautiful on her.

With almost all of her belongings gone, Yana shows a necklace her mother gifted her for her birthday.

Looking into the future, she confesses she wanted to be a journalist or a lawyer in South Korea, being inspired by the culture and K-pop, like Stray Kids. Now, however, she has changed her mind.

“I would like to become a soldier, specifically, an assault trooper,” says Yana. “I decided to become a servicewoman to protect my family and country.”

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