Biography

Kateryna Oleksivna Vinnichenko was born on April 2, 2008, in Mariupol, Donetsk region. From early childhood she was full of energy and curiosity. She loved animals, especially horses and cats, and dreamed of one day learning to ride. At home she cared for two kittens, Tima and Lizka, which she had rescued with her mother.

Kateryna was a bright student and an eighth‑grader at her local school. She attended the circus club at the Palace of Culture of Metallurgists from the age of six, performing at concerts and competitions. By thirteen she was already helping instructors teach younger children. She also practiced archery and attended art school, where she created drawings and even a portrait of her mother. Her dream was to study medicine in the future, combining her compassion with her love of learning.

On March 15, 2022, fate took a tragic turn. During the siege of Mariupol, Kateryna and her mother Iryna were preparing food with neighbors in the courtyard of their home on Tramvaynyi Lane. A shell hit the yard, killing them instantly along with four other civilians. Kateryna was only thirteen years old.

Their bodies remained at the site until the end of March, later taken to the morgue, and most likely buried in Mangush, though the exact graves are unknown. Kateryna’s siblings and friends continue to remember her as a joyful, talented girl whose kindness and dreams were cut short by war.

The memory of Kateryna Vinnichenko lives on as of a gifted child, a loving daughter, and a friend whose spirit touched everyone around her.