Key Facts

• Vitalina Yarovenko was a fourth-year psychology student at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
• She volunteered with a Ukrainian medical group called the Hospitallers, which provides frontline medical help during the war.
• Yarovenko was killed in a Russian missile strike while assisting victims of a previous attack at the same location.
• Her family requested mourners wear white or traditional Ukrainian clothes instead of black.
• The funeral procession passed through Kyiv’s central streets and Independence Square, stopping traffic for several minutes.
• Drivers and passersby showed respect by kneeling, standing silently, or placing a hand over their heart.
• Ukrainian officials say Russia often targets rescue workers with a “double tap” tactic, hitting the same place twice to cause more casualties.
• Yarovenko’s mother asked for her funeral to be conducted like those for soldiers who died defending Ukraine.