Honoring a Fallen Hero: Iryna Tsybukh's Lasting Legacy

Nearly 1,000 people attended a ceremony in Kyiv to honor Ukrainian journalist Iryna Tsybukh, who died serving as a volunteer medic before her 26th birthday. Mourners wore traditional embroidered shirts and sang songs as per her wishes. The event highlighted her bravery and dedication to Ukraine's freedom.

Nearly 1,000 attendees gathered Sunday to honor the memory of Ukrainian journalist Iryna Tsybukh, who was killed in action while serving as a volunteer medic, merely days before her 26th birthday.

Tsybukh was killed while stationed in the Kharkiv area, a region embroiled in conflict since Russia's offensive began nearly a month ago.

She left detailed instructions for her memorial, requesting attendees to wear traditional embroidered shirts (vyshyvankas) instead of black clothes, and to sing Ukrainian songs.

“I want everyone to sing at the farewell, to learn at least 10 meaningful songs and sing them in unison, to extinguish sorrow with native songs,” Tsybukh wrote. Instead of flowers, she asked for donations to the Hospitallers Volunteer Medical Battalion, where she served.

The ceremony was held at Kyiv's St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery. A crowd later moved to central Independence Square, a common ritual for fallen servicemen. As they marched, passersby stopped to pay respects; some knelt, and many chanted “Heroes don't die” while wiping away tears.

Tsybukh's death sparked significant reaction on social media, where her heartfelt letter went viral days after her passing.

“Today everything is behind me, my life has ended, and it was important for me to live it with dignity: to be an honest, kind, and loving person,'' she wrote in a letter shared by her brother on Instagram, per her wishes.

Upon reaching Independence Square, hundreds knelt as Tsybukh's casket, draped in the blue-yellow national flag, was placed in front. The crowd wore vyshyvankas and took turns approaching the casket.

Close friends distributed printed lyrics of songs Tsybukh wanted sung during her funeral, including ones symbolic of Ukraine's resistance. “We will sing each passing minute, in honor of how she saved the military with every minute,” said a friend through a loudspeaker.

For two hours, mourners continued to approach the casket.

A funeral will be held on Monday in Tsybukh's hometown, Lviv. Among those at the memorial were soldiers, activists, journalists, and her social media followers. “I am very grateful to everyone who is here today; it shows we are united, strong, and will endure,” said her friend Kateryna Serdiuk. “Her cause will live on because we are alive and will carry on.”

Before the invasion, Tsybukh was part of Ukraine's public broadcaster Suspilne's managing team and oversaw educational projects in remote Donetsk and Luhansk villages. She joined the Hospitallers volunteer unit after the war began, receiving the Order of Merit from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in November for her service. At least 91 media workers have been killed since the war's outbreak, according to the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine.