San Francisco Frontiers - From Odesa to Bakhmut, revisiting a Ukrainian family torn by war

While Yuriy was out shopping, a Russian missile hit their apartment, instantly wiping out three generations of the family: baby Kira, 28-year-old Valeria and Valeria's mother Lyudmyla, 54.

The Glodan family's story, which drew outrage in Ukraine and worldwide, is just one example of many in a four-year Russian invasion punctuated by tragedy and heartache for millions.

A year later, Yuriy joined the army and was killed in September 2023 during the battle for the town of Bakhmut, one of the bloodiest of the war.

"There's a before and an after," Yuriy's 53-year-old mother Nina said of the strike that killed her relatives.

"We're still living in April 2022. And we haven't moved past it."

More than 15,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed since the start of the Russian invasion, according to UN estimates.

The real toll is thought to be much higher, while thousands of soldiers are believed to be dead or missing in action.

As Ukrainians prepare to mark the invasion's four-year anniversary on Tuesday, AFP spoke to those who knew the Glodans, about their memories of the strike and of the family.

- 'His life was over' -

The young couple is now buried in a cemetery in Avangard, a small village on the outskirts of Odesa.

Kira, her mother and grandmother's grave lie on one side of a narrow path in the cemetery.

Yuriy's, on the other side of the path, faces them.

Nina and her husband, also called Yuriy, spoke to AFP from a cafe in the village.

It was where they learned they would become grandparents.

They brought with them a family album that showed a picture-perfect life: Yuriy and Valiera's wedding, their trip to Rome, and of course, wide-eyed baby Kirochka.

It shows Yuriy, serious and composed besides Valeria, a brunette with an infectious smile who resembles her mother Lyudmyla.

The pair met in 2013, when Yuriy was finishing his studies at Odesa Law Academy and Valeria was studying journalism.

"Yuriy was very smart. She really won him over with her intellect," Nina said.

Yuriy later abandoned his law career to work in an Odesa boulangerie called "Make My Cake".

"The first thing he became known for was baking cinnamon rolls. He also made great Easter cakes," his mother said.

"We were waiting for grandchildren," his father added.

The couple got married in 2019, and Kira was born on January 4, 2022.

"We were so happy."

But then came the invasion, and the strike.

Nina had her son on the phone, as they searched through the rubble of the building, looking for his girls.

"He said right then that his life was over," Nina said. "Ours too."

- 'Empty inside' -

Valeria's friend Alla Korolyova never deleted their WhatsApp messages and scrolled through them as she spoke to AFP, showing jokes, emojis and photos of baby Kira.

"Her personality was like sunshine. She loved Odesa, Ukrainian culture, the opera... She had a wonderful, very loud laugh that I miss very much," said Korolyova, 38.

Korolyova left for the relative safety of western Ukraine, further from the front, at the beginning of the invasion.

But Valeria didn't want to leave Odesa, where she felt safe.

Their Whatsapp chat on April 23rd -- the day of the strike -- only showed missed calls from Alla, along with anxious messages:

"Is everything alright?"

A year after losing his family, Yuriy left for the eastern front, training intensively to join Ukraine's elite third assault unit.

"When I met him, I had no idea who he was. He was just a guy from Odesa, always sad and dissatisfied with something," said fellow soldier and friend Dmytro Gudz.

"One day in the dugout I asked him –- why are you always such a grumbler? And he told me about the tragedy with his family. From that time, we grew very close."

Yuriy was "empty inside" -- Alla and Dmytro both said separately.

He died during an assault on Andriivka, near Bakhmut.

A soldier who was wounded alongside him said he was killed by a drone chasing them.

His funeral took place on February 24, 2024, two years to the day after the start of the Russian invasion.

L.Ramos--SFF