The coffin of boxing coach Mykhailo Korenovsky arrives at a cemetery on the outskirts of Dnipro, Ukraine, on Tuesday. Korenovsky died in the residential building that was hit in Dnipro on Saturday.

The coffin of boxing coach Mykhailo Korenovsky arrives at a cemetery on the outskirts of Dnipro, Ukraine, on Tuesday. Korenovsky died in the residential building that was hit in Dnipro on Saturday. / NPR

DNIPRO, Ukraine — In a cemetery on the outskirts of the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, mourners gathered for the burial of Mykhailo Korenovsky, a boxing coach killed Saturday in the Russian missile strike on an apartment building.

Korenovsky is among the more than 40 people who were killed in the strike, one of many attacks on civilians far from the front lines since Russia's full-scale invasion began last February. Young children, a pregnant woman and a 15-year-old ballet dancer were also among the victims.

Korenovsky's mother cries over her son's coffin at his funeral on Tuesday.

Korenovsky's mother cries over her son's coffin at his funeral on Tuesday. / NPR

Mourners throw soil into the grave over Korenovsky's coffin.

Mourners throw soil into the grave over Korenovsky's coffin. / NPR

Three priests, standing at the edge of Korenovsky's coffin, presided over the burial with prayers and song. As the coffin was lowered into the ground, Olha Korenovska, Mikhailo's wife, hid her face in a bouquet of yellow roses. After a moment, she lifted her head and began to trace her hand across a framed photo of her husband's face, set up at the foot of the gravesite.

Hundreds of people came to the cemetery to pay their respects; many of the mourners were young men whom Korenovsky had trained. They brought flowers, and several men brought boxing gloves.

Korenovsky's wife, Olha Korenovska, touches a portrait of her husband at the funeral.

Korenovsky's wife, Olha Korenovska, touches a portrait of her husband at the funeral. / NPR

"He was always a positive person, he made a lot of jokes," one of the students he trained who attends the Pridniprovsk State Academy of Physical Education and Sport told a Ukrainian TV station. "He was kind and helped a lot. He was a great man."

Officials say 45 people died in the attack, and 19 are still unaccounted for. Korenovsky's funeral is one of the first of many that will take place in the coming days.

Priests walk through the cemetery as mourners gather for Korenovsky's funeral.

Priests walk through the cemetery as mourners gather for Korenovsky's funeral. / NPR

A crowd of hundreds attends the funeral of the beloved boxing coach.

A crowd of hundreds attends the funeral of the beloved boxing coach. / NPR

NPR's Lauren Migaki contributed to this report from Kyiv.

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Tags: Ukraine  Russia