A Baby Stroller Against a Russian “Shahed”: The Story of Teacher Inna and Little Angelina

Teacher Inna Maryukhna, who, along with her daughter Anhelina, fell victim to a Russian strike on Nova Vodolaha in the Kharkiv region on October 19, worked at the same school she had once attended. The principal of Novovodolazkyi Lyceum No. 1, Oleksandr Kovalenko, and her colleagues shared their memories of her with TSN.ua.

That Monday, Inna was walking with her child in the village park when a Russian drone struck the park. According to the lyceum principal, Russian forces sent a “Shahed”-type drone to a place where mothers often spend time with their children.

One-year-old Anhelina died at the scene. Her mother died later in hospital. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about the deaths of the mother and daughter.

TSN.ua reported the following figures on the attack’s toll:

• 6 people were killed, including 2 children;
• 15 people were injured, including 7 children.

“She was one of those rays of sunshine everyone was drawn to. She was a primary school teacher and also taught English. You could say that working with children was her whole life. It had been her calling since childhood,” said lyceum principal Oleksandr Kovalenko.

Many people in the Kharkiv region knew Inna. According to the principal, she sang beautifully and took part in school events. She was also often invited to host local celebrations:

• weddings;
• christenings;
• birthdays and other celebrations.

It was important to the teacher to fulfill her commitment to her pupils and their parents: they were counting on her to guide the class through the end of primary school. As she planned her family life, Inna tried to take both her family’s needs and her responsibilities to her pupils into account.

“She had been looking forward to this child’s birth and had made a determined effort to become a mother. Anhelina was her only child. She even planned it so she could first see her fourth-grade class graduate and move on to secondary school, and then have a baby—so she wouldn’t disrupt her family happiness or her work,” Oleksandr Kovalenko explained.

On social media, Inna Maryukhna shared videos of her performances and talked about family life. In August, when her daughter turned one, she posted a birthday message:

“The day before my birthday, I gave myself the best present of my life… I became the mother of the most wonderful daughter, Anhelinka! How quickly this year has flown by, and now we’re celebrating my little girl’s first birthday—my daughter, my love, my happiness, my inspiration, and a part of me!” Inna wrote.

Inna Maryukhna’s colleagues offered their condolences to the family and loved ones of the mother and daughter who were killed.

We previously reported:

• Three children lived for only one year: a Russian missile killed nearly 20 people in Pryluky
• Missile strike on Odesa: mother killed in front of her children
• Overnight guided-bomb strike on the Mykolaiv region: mother and her 15-year-old daughter killed under the rubble
• “Graduation never came”: three children from one family killed by Russian forces
• Morning attack on Mykolaiv: two women killed, children among the injured