Zelenopillia tragedy: remembering how it was

Today we are remembering the fourth anniversary of the deadly tragedy near Zelenopillia. At 4:30 AM in the night of 11^th of July, 2014, russian occupiers and their mercenaries shelled the positions of the Ukrainian border guards and the troops of 24^th and 72^nd mechanized brigades and 79^th airborne brigade with “Grad” MLRSs.

It was the first massive deployment of the RF army against the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Later, such offensives became regular. According to the Ministry of Defense official data, 36 servicemen were killed and about 100 got wounded in that massacre. Afterwards, medics admitted that they had never seen such severe injuries in their life, – seemed that the wounded military had “escaped from hell” that time.

These soldiers were defending the sector of Ukraine’s state boundary that remained open due to the militant’s attacks. The Ukrainian border guards and military prevented Russia from bringing its artillery and heavy weaponry onto the territory of Ukraine.

Ivan was among those few lucky to escape death then. He got heavy shrapnel injury; his leg had been almost torn away. Medics in conventional hospitals tried as hard as they could to save his leg, still the bones did not fuse up. Later, thanks to our collective effort, we succeeded in raising the money necessary for the fighter’s treatment within the Bioengineering Rehabilitation for Wounded project. Today Ivan has sent us a very important photo. He looks absolutely recovered in it, standing on his own two feet with confidence. Also, Ivan remembers his comrades.

Let us remember all those killed on that scary day, by name:

1. Vykhopen Vasyl Ihorovych
2. Dyshel Marian Myronovych
3. Koltun Volodymyr Mykhaylovych
4. Kostiv Yuriy Myronovych
5. Luschyk Victor Fedorovych
6. Holub Yuriy Hryhorovych
7. Kovalyk Vasyl Stepanovych
8. Kratko Roman Zinoviyovych
9. Kuntyi Yevhen Oleksandrovych
10. Bereza Ivan-Vitaliy Volodymyrovych
11. Borys Ihor Volodymyrovych
12. Vasylykha Petro Stepanovych
13. Verbytskyi Volodymyr Volodymyrovych
14. Lohyn Mykhaylo Romanovych
15. Mysyk Taras Ihorovych
16. Nahornyi Yuriy Vasylyovych
17. Popovych Volodymyr Romanovych
18. Rusnak Mykola Ihorovych
19. Tsikalo Bohdan Bohdanovych
20. Shpyrka Volodymyr Mykhaylovych
21. Ledyzhenskyi Oleksandr Vasylyovych
22. Holota Ivan Ivanovych, sergeant
23. Novytskyi Anatoliy Olehovych
24. Kruk Oleksandr Oleksandrovych
25. Platonov Serhiy Serhiyovych
26. Boiko Victor Mykhaylovych
27. Volkov Oleksiy Vitaliyovych
28. Hnatusha Volodymyr Yuriyovych
29. Plushch Mykhaylo Victorovych
30. Momot Ihor Fedorovych
31. Lutsko Anatoliy Stepanovych
32. Hlushchak Oleh Mykolayovych
33. Polyakov Vasyl Victorovych
34. Syrby Dmytro Vasylyovych
35. Shtoltsel Vilhelm Volodymyrovych
36. Vovk Vasyl Yaroslavovych