He died fighting for Ukraine. Now Russia’s killed his daughters too

Key Points:

• Two sisters, Vera (17) and Liubava (12), were killed when a Russian missile struck their apartment block in Kyiv during one of Moscow's largest aerial attacks on Ukraine, which also killed 24 civilians including another child.
• Their father, Yevhen Yakovlev, a Ukrainian soldier killed in combat in Luhansk region nine months after writing to Liubava, had hoped to celebrate future birthdays together, but never lived to see his daughter turn ten.
• President Zelensky visited the attack site, condemning the strike as a war crime and promising retaliation, while Ukraine launched strikes on Russian weapons and oil facilities near Moscow in response.
• The missile used was a Kh-101 containing Western-made components despite sanctions, highlighting the evolving and deadly nature of the conflict and Ukraine’s challenges in intercepting advanced Russian weaponry.
• The sisters were mourned by family, classmates, and community at St Michael’s Cathedral, where their coffins were carried by their father’s fellow soldiers, symbolizing the personal and national grief caused by the ongoing war.