Nataliia Khodymchuk dies in Kyiv apartment fire after Russian drone attack

6 articles · Updated · The New Yorker · Apr 25

Khodymchuk, aged 73 and widow of Chernobyl’s first victim, died after a Russian drone struck her seventh-floor apartment, killing six others in the Chernobyl House complex on Kyiv’s Left Bank.
The attack caused a fire that destroyed her home and left her with fatal burns; she died in hospital the next day. President Zelensky called it a new tragedy caused by the Kremlin, sparking national grief.
Khodymchuk, a symbol of Chernobyl’s legacy, had survived displacement and decades of hardship. Her death highlights ongoing civilian suffering in Ukraine, where over 2,500 civilians died last year amid continued Russian attacks.

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