‘Only the dad is alive’: Strike decimates Ukrainian family

KYIV, Ukraine: A Russian missile attack on Wednesday on the Ukrainian city of Lviv killed a woman and her three daughters, leaving their father as the only immediate survivor, Ukrainian officials said.

The strike killed seven people in Lviv, which lies in western Ukraine and is hundreds of kilometers from the front line, has been largely spared the intense strikes that have hit cities further east.

A photo of a family of five standing in the sun, one daughter holding a bouquet of sunflowers, was quickly shared on social media.

“After today´s attack, only the man in this photo survived. His wife Yevgenia and their three daughters -- Yaryna, Daryna and Emilia -- were killed in their own home,” Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovy posted on social media. “I don´t know what words to say to support Yaroslav -- the father. Today we are all with you,” he added.

The eldest daughter, Yaryna Bazylevych, worked at Lviv´s European Youth Capital 2025 initiative, which expressed “unspeakable sorrow” after the death of their “kind and bright” colleague.

The Ukrainian Catholic University paid hommage to 18-year-old Daryna Bazylevych, and published some of the candidacy letter from her university application.

“I am interested in the culture and history of my country and in the future. I want to develop the culture of Ukraine and tell the whole world about it,” the letter read.

“We have an incredibly close-knit family... an inexhaustible source of support that cannot be compared to any other. They are the biggest pillar in my life, helping me to overcome any obstacles,” it read.