In the picturesque village of Hroza, two women cautiously approach a makeshift memorial, each placing a red rose between their tears. Valentina Kozienko, a 73-year-old retiree, mourns the loss of her neighbors, victims of what Ukrainian authorities say was a Russian missile attack. The strike targeted a grocery store and a coffee shop, and claimed 52 lives, including many of Kozienko’s neighbors. His house, located across the street, was also partially damaged by the explosion.
Kozienko recalls the terrifying scene, describing a powerful attack that left everything burning and causing horrific casualties. The village, which was home to about 300 people before the war, was occupied by Russia shortly after the invasion began. The population was reduced to just over 110, almost half of whom died in the missile attack.
The pain of loss is a common thread in this settlement near Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region. The local cemetery bears witness to the tragedy, with new graves marking the recent deaths. One grave in particular belongs to Andrii Kozyr, a Ukrainian soldier who died a year ago in Dnipro. His son Denis was finally able to rebury him in Hroza after the village was reclaimed by Ukraine. Many of the dead were attending a ceremony in their memory when the missile struck.
In Hroza, a town where everyone knows each other, the attack has been particularly devastating, and in some cases it has wiped out entire families. Anatoliy Androsovych, a 69-year-old resident, mourns the loss of his brother Mykola, who died during the strike. Mykola had been his main support since he suffered a stroke.
Emergency services resumed search and rescue operations early Friday, discovering another body and collecting human remains too small to identify at the scene. A war crimes prosecutor visited the site as police investigators cataloged debris from the Iskander-type missile that hit Hroza.
Aid workers have flooded the area, providing hot meals and building materials to help repair damaged buildings. Despite their efforts, the support network does little to ease survivors’ anger and anguish. The town, once a tight-knit community, is now a place of grief and loss, its residents struggling with the devastating impact of the attack.
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