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Russian Missile Strike on Kyiv Kills 6-Year-Old Karate Student
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
Six-year-old Matvii Marchenko, a student of the Kyiv-based karate club “Sen-Bin,” was killed in the overnight missile attack on Kyiv on July 31, the Ukrainian Karate Federation reported.
As a result of the massive assault involving Russian missiles and strike drones, significant destruction was recorded in several districts of the capital. One of the missiles struck a multi-story residential building. At least 11 people were killed, and more than 135 were injured.
Among the dead was Matvii, the youngest son in the Marchenko family. His older brothers, eight-year-old Mykhailo and twelve-year-old Lev, also practice karate.
According to his coach, Ihor Yefymenko, the boy had been training for a year and a half and stood out for his determination and serious attitude toward training.
“Matvii was a very kind and well-behaved child. Over the past six months, he seemed to mature and started training with real purpose,” Yefymenko recalled.
He shared that, as surprising as it may seem, Matvii once came up to him and said he wanted to beat everyone and win more medals than his brother Lev. The coach personally visited the site of the tragedy, according to the Ukrainian Karate Federation.
“Matvii’s mother and father are proud of their two other children, and I’m sure they will always be proud of Matvii. He was the soul of every group—both among his peers and among the older kids—as he always looked up to the older ones, especially his brother,” the coach added.
Earlier, rescuers in Kyiv successfully freed a man who was trapped under the rubble of a collapsed apartment entrance, following a challenging three-hour operation. He became trapped during the overnight attack on the capital on July 31.
