Ukrainians bid farewell to fallen ballet dancer

A Ukrainian serviceman stands next to a coffin with the body of his brother-in-arms and ballet dancer Vadym Khlupianets, who was recently killed in a fight against Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, during a funeral ceremony at the National Academic Operetta's Theatre in Kyiv, Ukraine November 24, 2022. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

KYIV (Reuters) - Mournful Ukrainians said their final goodbyes on Thursday to a 26-year-old ballet dancer who was killed fighting Russian troops in eastern Ukraine.

Vadym Khlupianets, of the Kyiv National Academic Operetta Theater, was killed by a sniper near Bakhmut, a strategically important town in the eastern Donetsk region, the Ukrainian military said.