Five-year-old Nicole Garanska and her father, Oleksandr, were killed in yesterday’s drone attack by Russian troops in Kyiv. The family lived in a small house on the territory of the Emanuel Evangelical Church in the Holosiivskyi district of the capital. Only Oleksandr’s mother survived, and she is in the intensive care unit of a Kyiv hospital with injuries.
A close family friend, Diana Dudchenko, spoke about the tragedy in a commentary for UP.Life.
She recalls how the Garansky family moved to Kyiv from the frontline town of Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia region, after the start of the full-scale invasion. They became active participants in the life of the local church, where they met Diana.
“Oleksandra sang with me in the church worship group. Their daughter Nicole attended the same kindergarten as my son. We often saw each other, gave each other rides, and talked. It was a sincere, kind family that did not close itself off in trouble, but rather helped others,” the woman shares.
Nicole’s mother worked in a church kindergarten and later started baking sweets to order. Oleksandr worked part-time at various jobs and actively served in the church, holding meetings with teenagers and organizing charity events. One of the latter was a winter initiative to collect gifts for children from the frontline regions.
Nicole was a lively, quick-witted girl who loved to draw, sculpt with clay, and wear festive dresses. She was preparing to start first grade in September.
According to Diana, the family was at home when the drone hit their house. “Oleksandra was thrown twenty meters away. She was unconscious for three hours until an electrician found her. Nicole and her father died on the spot,” the friend recalls with tears.
Now Oleksandr’s mother is in intensive care. Her condition is stable and there is hope for recovery. However, the woman lost everything – her family, her home, her belongings. The church and friends organized a fundraiser for her treatment and support.
“Mom has regained consciousness. The doctors’ prognosis is cautiously optimistic. Now she is fighting not only for her life, but also for a new meaning after this terrible loss,” Diana adds.
Church minister Kirill Potetnya also wrote about this tragedy:
“This family are our ministers. On Thursday evening they were performing at a church celebration, and the next day a drone hit a house on the church grounds. It killed the daughter and the father. The mother survived, but she was left with nothing. If you can help, we will be sincerely grateful.”
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Summary: The Garansky family tried to escape from the war, but the war caught up with them in the city where they sought refuge. The church that became their new home also became a place of tragedy. The Christian community is calling for prayer and support for the only survivor, a mother who is struggling to live after losing her daughter and husband.
