Never a day without war

Born earlier in Russia’s invasion, Anhelina Halych died before she could know peace

A photo of Nadiia Halych and her daughter, Anhelina, nestles within a makeshift shrine outside the Kyiv apartment building where they died in a Russian missile attack early Thursday. (c. Martin Kuz)

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As the missile fell, did they know? Did they tremble? Did they hold each other tight? Or did they sleep, adrift below the surface, unaware of their last moment, their last breath?

Nadiia Halych gave birth to a girl in October 2022, eight months into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Less than three years later, their lives ended, young Anhelina taken before she could know peace, herself, her future.

Mother and daughter were among 25 people killed in a large-scale Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv in the predawn darkness Thursday. Three other children died, and almost all of the victims lived in the same five-story apartment building as the Halyches. Nadiia’s husband, Maksym, the father of Anhelina, had gone to work earlier in the night. He returned home to a void.

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The cleanup that began hours after the airstrike continued Saturday afternoon, when I visited the site. A makeshift shrine of flowers, stuffed animals, candles and other offerings covered the base of an external wall. Friends, neighbors and strangers clustered in silence, in sorrow. Nadiia and Anhelina peered back from a framed photo nestled beneath a teddy bear, faces aglow.

The missile cut deep gashes in the building, revealing remnants of lives now past: a stove, a desk, a sofa, a toilet. A pump bottle of lotion rested on a table, a framed certificate hung on a wall. An internal stairwell stood open to the sun, and missing doors and windows created sightlines straight through the building. The people had vanished. Only emptiness remained.

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(All photos c. Martin Kuz)

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