The coffin of boxing coach Mykhailo Korenovsky arrives at a cemetery on the outskirts of Dnipro, Ukraine, on Tuesday. Korenovsky died in a residential building hit by bullets in Dnipro on Saturday.
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The coffin of boxing coach Mykhailo Korenovsky arrives at a cemetery on the outskirts of Dnipro, Ukraine, on Tuesday. Korenovsky died in a residential building hit by bullets in Dnipro on Saturday.
Claire Harbage / NPR
DNIPRO, Ukraine — At a cemetery on the outskirts of the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, mourners gathered to bury Mykhailo Korenovsky, a boxing trainer killed Saturday in a Russian missile attack into an apartment building.
Korenovsky was among more than 40 people killed in the attack, one of many targeting civilians far from the front lines since Russia’s full-blown invasion began last February. Young children, a pregnant woman and a 15-year-old ballet dancer were also among the victims.
Korenovsky’s mother wept over her son’s coffin during his funeral on Tuesday.
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Korenovsky’s mother wept over her son’s coffin during his funeral on Tuesday.
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Flowers were scattered next to the grave site before the burial of Korenovsky.
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Flowers were scattered next to the grave site before the burial of Korenovsky.
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The mourners threw dirt on the grave onto Korenovsky’s coffin.
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The mourners threw dirt on the grave onto Korenovsky’s coffin.
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Three priests, standing at the edge of Korenovsky’s coffin, presided over the burial with prayers and songs. When the coffin was lowered to the ground, Olha Korenovska, Mikhailo’s wife, hid her face in a bouquet of yellow roses. Moments later, she raised her head and began to trace the picture of her husband’s face, framed, at the foot of the grave.
Hundreds of people come to the cemetery to pay their respects; many of the mourners were young men who had been trained by Korenovsky. They brought flowers, and some men carried boxing gloves.
People light candles at the funeral. Hundreds of people have come to the cemetery to pay their respects.
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People light candles at the funeral. Hundreds of people have come to the cemetery to pay their respects.
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Korenovsky’s wife, Olha Korenovska, touches her husband’s portrait at the funeral.
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Korenovsky’s wife, Olha Korenovska, touches her husband’s portrait at the funeral.
Claire Harbage / NPR
“He was always a positive person, he made jokes a lot,” one of the students he trained at the Pridniprovsk State Institute of Physical Education and Sports told a Ukrainian television station. “He’s kind and helps a lot. He’s a great man.”
Officials said 45 people died in the attack and 19 have yet to be found. Korenovsky’s funeral is one of the first to take place in the coming days.
Priests pass through the cemetery as mourners gather for Korenovsky’s funeral.
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Priests pass through the cemetery as mourners gather for Korenovsky’s funeral.
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Crowds of hundreds attended the beloved boxing coach’s funeral.
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Crowds of hundreds attended the beloved boxing coach’s funeral.
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NPR’s Lauren Migaki contributed to this report from Kyiv.
