Prom in Kyiv goes on without the teenager who planned it

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom

Published July 7, 2026 at 11:59 AM EDT

Local residents clear a territory at a residential building damaged by Monday's Russian missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (Dan Bashakov/AP)

Amid Russia’s increased attacks on Ukraine, a high school prom went on in Kyiv with a devastating reminder of all the war has taken from the country.

Siobhan O’Grady, Ukraine correspondent for The New York Times based in Kyiv, tells us the story of a teenage girl who lost her life when a Russian missile hit her family’s apartment building in May. Recently, her ninth-grade class held the prom she planned without her, and her date danced the waltz as if still holding her.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.