Kupiansk Says Goodbye to The Museum Staff Killed by a Russian Missile

The funeral for the victims of the Russian missile attack took place at the central cemetery in Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast.

According to the local military administration, the dead workers were Iryna Osadcha, director of the Kupiansk Local Museum, and Olena Vodopianova, an institution employee. They were at their workplaces during the shelling of Kupiansk on 25 April 2023. The women were killed when one of the Russian S-300 missiles hit the museum building. They were 54 and 57 years old.

“They were true patriots of their city, who worked for the people of the community despite the difficulties of every day. This crime will not go unpunished,” said Andriy Besedin, head of the city military administration, during the funeral ceremony.

• Russians attacked twice a building of the local history museum in Kupiansk on April 25. No military facilities are located near the house that was hit by the missile;
• The Russian army launched two S-300 missiles: one hit the ground nearby and the other struck the museum building;
• 6 people sustained injuries of varying degrees, and they sought medical help.

“Kupyansk, city center, local history museum. The terrorist country is doing everything to destroy us completely. Our history, our culture, our people. Killing Ukrainians with absolutely barbaric methods. We have no right to forget about it for a single second. We must and will respond!” President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented.

See also

Constant missile attacks and deserted streets: how Kupiansk lives on the front line. The city was severely damaged at the beginning of the full-scale invasion and during the battle for its liberation in September 2022. Today, it is constantly under fire from Russian MLRS and S-300 systems.