The victim of a missile attack on a 5-storey building in Kharkiv was a former "Metalist" football player

A football player from the Poltava region, Ivan Kharchenko, was killed during a massive missile attack by Russian occupiers on Kharkiv on the night of May 31. The tragic death of the 29-year-old athlete was reported in the Velykobahachanska community.

"He was only 29. His life, his youth, and dreams were taken away by the war... We express our sincere condolences to his parents, relatives, and friends on the tragic death of our dearest person. The memory of Vania will forever remain in our hearts," the statement reads.

Kharchenko started playing football at the Velykobahachanska school in Poltava region. It turned out that he had a talent for the sport, and he continued to improve his skills at the football academy of Kharkiv's "Metalist".

After graduating from the academy, Ivan played for FC "Metalist-2" for some time and later began to defend the colors of his home football club "Velyka Bahachka".

On that tragic night of May 31, Kharchenko was in a 5-story building in Kharkiv that was hit by a Russian missile. Unfortunately, Ivan did not survive, and 8 other people fell victim to the attack.

"My father's pride and hope, it is impossible to imagine how his parents will continue to live without Ivan. Young, handsome, and joyful, he will always remain in our hearts. Fate is very unfair, but, unfortunately, these are the realities of our time," Iryna Nahoha said.

As a reminder, the explosions in Kharkiv occurred around 23:50 (May 30), and at 00:15 (May 31) the occupiers re-launched S300/S400 missiles. The enemy again used the tactic of a double strike.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA reported that Russian occupants killed a Ukrainian boxer in the Donetsk region.

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