A Ukrainian high school class held their final graduation ceremony at a cemetery to honor a classmate and his two siblings killed in a Russian missile strike.

The high-school students from the school in Korostyshiv, central Zhytomyr Oblast, visited the graves of their 17-year-old classmate Roman Martyniuk and his younger sister Tamara, 12, and younger brother Stanislav, 8, who died on 25 May after the Russian missile hit their home.

“The day of the last bell [traditional event to mark the end of a high school year], which should have been filled with joy, hugs, tears of happiness and farewell to school, turned into a day of silence, grief and deep pain,” the school wrote on Facebook. 

The class teacher conducted the last bell ceremony at the gravesite without the customary loud bells or music. The ceremony was described as being held “with deep reverence, respect and love.”

Instead of traditional graduation celebrations, the students brought toys, cards, and pieces of birthday cake to the cemetery. Tamara would have celebrated her birthday on the day before the ceremony.

“Today we once again felt how war steals not only lives – it steals childhood, youth, holidays, memories that should have been warm…,” the school’s post stated.

Two older children were living separately and survived because they were not home during the strike. Both parents survived the attack, though the mother required surgery and was in serious condition before the funeral, while the father sustained less severe injuries and attended the burial service on 28 May.

The lyceum principal told that Roman excelled in Ukrainian history and demonstrated strong aptitude in physics, a subject that poses difficulties for many peers.

The two younger children were enrolled at the community music school, where they learned to play the domra, a traditional stringed instrument. The siblings were reportedly in preparation for their music school graduation at the time of the attack. Tamara expressed interest in becoming a mathematics teacher like her mother, who survived the strike but lost her children. 

Ukrainians held a public farewell ceremony for three siblings who died in a Russian missile attack on 25 May.

The victims were 8-year-old Stanislav, 12-year-old Tamara, and 17-year-old Roman from the Martyniuk family, who lived in Korosten, central Zhytomyr Oblast near Kyiv, according to Hromadske.

Several hundred people attended the ceremony, including family members, teachers, and community members.

The funeral procession moved from a church service to the city cultural center, where crowds filled the square. Attendees formed long lines to place flowers at the coffins, with bouquets arriving continuously throughout the ceremony.

Roman was scheduled to graduate high school within days of his death. His graduation ribbon was placed on the funeral hearse. Pavlo Pozdniakov, director of Lyceum No. 1 where the children studied, described Roman as passionate about Ukrainian history and confident in physics, a subject many students find challenging.

“Roman was on the threshold of his graduation, preparing for university entrance exams and was passionately interested in Ukrainian history. He would argue his point. Along with history, he studied physics. Children are afraid of this difficult subject, but Roman said: no, it’s easy,” Pozdniakov shared.

Both younger siblings attended the local music school, where they studied the domra, a traditional stringed instrument.

Music teacher Larisa Vasilivna recalled teaching Tamara just days before her death, noting the difficulty of accepting the loss of students she knew personally. The children were reportedly preparing for their music school graduation when they died.

“This is the future of our country, the future of our nation, which Russia is now destroying,” Larisa Vasilivna said.

School director Kateryna Grabchuk characterized the siblings as well-behaved students. Teachers remembered Tamara leading her younger brother to classes and both children excelling academically. Tamara had expressed interest in becoming a mathematics teacher like her mother.

The children’s parents were injured in the same attack. Their mother remains hospitalized, while their father attended the funeral with one of their two adult sons, aged 24 and 26.

The attack occurred during a large-scale Russian assault that targeted 13 Ukrainian regions with 69 missiles and 298 drones. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 45 missiles and 266 drones. The strikes resulted in 13 deaths and over 60 injuries nationwide, with Zhytomyr Oblast recording three fatalities and 12 injuries. Korosten mayor Yurii Denysovets declared 25 May “a black day in the city’s history.”