Ukrainian Father Left Sole Survivor After Russian Missile Kills Family in Lviv

In her college application letter, Daryna Bazylevych described her family as "incredibly close-knit and harmonious," speaking of her parents' unwavering support and the stories they shared about Ukraine's history. "They are the strongest pillar in my life," she wrote. Tragically, of the five family members, only her father, Yaroslav, remains after a Russian missile strike on their home in Lviv on Wednesday.

In this family from Lviv only father survived today
The mother and three daughters were killed by a Russian missile.
Russia deliberately kills children every day to break Ukrainians with terror pic.twitter.com/7hHys0nsVc

— Денис Казанський (@den_kazansky) September 4, 2024

Daryna, 18, along with her sisters Yaryna, 21, and Emilia, 7, and their mother Yevhenia, 43, were killed while sheltering in the staircase of their building, a place believed to be safe. Yaroslav survived because he had gone into their apartment to fetch water when the missile hit. The incident has led to widespread mourning in Lviv and across Ukraine.

Lviv's mayor, Andriy Sadovyi, noted that Yaryna worked on the "Lviv - Youth Capital of Europe 2025" project. Daryna, a scholarship student at Ukrainian Catholic University, had just started her second year studying Ukrainian culture. The university expressed its deep sorrow, calling it an "irreparable loss."