The Heroes taken by war in February

There are nine of them, those who fell in the forefront and died of injuries in hospitals, in February. Eight men and one girl. The youngest of them was only 19, the eldest turned 39. Five fighters were killed in enemy fire. One fell in a close combat with enemy saboteur and reconnaissance group. Two soldiers stepped a landmine. Another fighter died in a hospital following the half-a-year battle for life due to injury caused by an enemy sniper.

Let us remember our fallen heroes, those who will never see the upcoming spring.

Oleksandr Rybalchenko, callsign “Plomba”

A reconnaissance officer, the section leader of the 93^rd Mechanized Brigade. He was born on the 11^th of January in 1994. Sashko was raised by his grandmother together with his four brothers and sisters.

Oleksandr has been fighting for Ukraine from the very beginning of military action in the East in 2014. First, he volunteered to the MIA “Luhansk-1” Battalion, and in 2015 signed a contract with the AFU and joined the 93^rd Brigade. He fought in Pisky, Tryokhizbenka, and near Bakhmut route. In December, 2017, by Presidential Decree he was awarded the “Fatherland Defender” medal.

Oleksandr was killed on the 1^st of February due to detonation of an unidentified explosive (enemy tripwire) while on reconnaissance mission. The guy was buried on Sunday, the 4^th of February, in his native village of Korzhove, Svativsky district, Luhansk region.

Sashko’s girlfriend, Olena Dmytrenko, used to serve in the same unit with the guy. Recently, she took maternity leave; at the moment she is four months pregnant.

Dmytro Syskov, callsign “Providnyk” (“Guide”)

Syskov Dmytro Vadymovych was the serviceman of the “Poltava” 16^th Motorized Infantry Battalion of the 58^th Brigade, a junior sergeant, a driver.

Dmytro was 37. He was born on the 18^th of June, 1980, in the city of Chernihiv. In January of 2015 he took the deep reconnaissance training course in a military camp in Nizhyn, in “Chernihiv” Territorial Defense Battalion. From May, 3^rd, 2015 to September 2016 he fought with the 4^th company of the “Donbas” National Guard battalion as a driver; took a course in APC driving. Dmytro fought near Mariupol and Shyrokyne; in July of 2016 he signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Like the majority of his comrades, fighters of “Donbas” battalion, later he joined the “Poltava” 16^th Motorized Infantry Battalion of the 58^th Brigade.

The accident happened in the forefront sector where the parties of the conflict are separated by just a 35 meters’ distance. The 58^th Brigade got the information about the enemy saboteur group’s approach to Ukrainian positions. In an attempt of takeover, the militants grabbed a Ukrainian soldier (it was Syskov), who fought to his last bullet, enabling his comrades to take the positions and beat the russian aggressor off. They pulled our fighter across the field having provided no first aid for him. Later, they just blatantly declared him dead. A number of horrible pictures that the terrorists took and sent to Dmytro’s comrades, along with verbal threats and humiliation, is evidential of their war crime. The soldier’s body was kept in a morgue in the town of Kadiivka (former Stakhanov), in the non-controlled area, for three days.

Dmytro was buried on the 17^th of February in Chernihiv, in the Alley of Heroes in Yatseve cemetery. He is survived by his mother.

Oleksandr Hrechuk, callsign “Yakut”

Paratrooper Hrechuk was 38. He was born on 13^th of April, 1979, in the village of Stepove (Slobozhanska community}, Dniprovskyi district, Dnipropetrovsk region.

On the 15^th of February, during the bombardment in Azov region, a leading crewman of the 503^rd marine infantry battalion of the 36^th Marine Infantry Brigade of the Ukrainian Naval Forces of the AFU, Hrechuk Oleksandr Vasyliovych, was killed. The 36^th Brigade has been engaged in military tasks completion near the village of Shyrokyne, Donetsk region. Oleksandr got married while on service in the AFU in June, 2017.

Yuriy Kushnir

Yuriy Mykolaiovych Kushnir was born on the 19^th of June, 1978, in the village of Zhylyntsi, Yarmolynetskiy district, Khmelnytskyi region. He served as a sergeant, a radio man of the 1^st storming company of the “Donbas–Ukraine” 46^th Special Forces battalion of the 54^th Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Yuriy was fighting since 2014, when he volunteered to the MIA Special Forces unit titled “Bohdan” Kmelnytskyi squadron. Yet on the 30^th of July in Mariinka, Donetsk region, he had been injured by an enemy sniper bullet, and this wound turned to be fatal for him. Despite fought for his life lasted for over half a year, in the morning on the 18^th of February Yuriy passed away in Kyiv military hospital.

The warrior was buried in his native village on the 21^st of February.

Valeriy Yehorov

On the 19^th of February, as a result of shelling on the part of russian-lead terrorist bands, the scout section leader of the reconnaissance unit of the 57^th Motorized Brigade of the AFU, a 28-year-old sergeant Valeriy Yehorov was killed.

Valeriy was born on the 17^th of December, 1989, in the town of Pryluky, Chernihiv region. In 2008, he graduated from Pryluky humanitarian-pedagogical college where he got a qualification of a teacher. Later, he studied and graduated from Drahomanov National Pedagogical Institute where got his bachelor’s degree in Primary Education and Practical Psychology.

He had served his regular military service in Feodosia Marine Infantry battalion in the Crimea. Was mobilized to the army in the very first wave, on 19^th of March, 2014. First he served in the 1^st Tank Brigade, later was transferred to the “Batkivshchyna” (“Motherland”) 34^th Battalion (Kirovohrad region). Since July of 2014 Valeriy has been in the forefront. Served as a commander of mortar department, liberated Toretsk, fought near Luhansk, Horlivka and Zaitseve. On the 25^th of December, 2015, he signed the third consecutive contract for military service. He was a skilled blacksmith and tried to devote every minute of his spare time in the forefront to this craft.

While on combat mission, on the 19^th of February, 2018, the group lead by sergeant Yehorov, got under enemy mortar fire that turned fatal for the section commander. Valeriy got hit in the head and fought for his life for about two hours… He was buried on the 21^st of February in his native town of Pryluky, in the “Novyi Pobut” cemetery. The fallen warrior is survived by his parents and elder brother.

Sabina Halytska

Sabina Stanislavivna Halytska was born on the 20^th of September, 1994, in the village of Bastova Rudnia, Yemilchynskyi district, Zhytomyr region. In 2014 she graduated from Novohrad-Volynskyi medical college where she got the qualification of a nurse. After graduation, since January of 2015, she worked along with her mother at Barashiv state hospital in Yemilchynskyi district as an obstetrician. Saving and protecting lives constituted the girl’s devotion.

On April of 2016 she volunteered to the Armed Forces having signed a contract for military service, and on completing a course in the “Desna” military training center, she continued service with the “Tenner”, a military unit А4267 of the 10^th Mountain Assault Brigade. During almost five months Sabina was providing first aid for wounded in the forefront. This was her second rotation in the frontline.

Senior nurse of the reception unit of medical company with the 10^th Mountain Assault Brigade, Sabina Halytska was killed in a shelling on the part of “DPR” militants near the village of Katerynivka. Sabina provided medical assistance to both Ukrainian fighters ad civilians. She got under the shelling that took her life, while trying to get to the villages of Katerynivka and Novooleksandrivka, recently taken by the AFU troops. Our military drove along the road in an APC. The vehicle was hit by an anti-tank missile. From injuries sustained during the missile hit, Sabina died on the spot. The rocket did not go off. Provided it did, there would be much more wounded…

“Yesterday we received new reports that a 23-year-old Ukrainian medic was killed while he was trying to aid civilians near the line of contact. The incident is a reminder that the conflict in eastern Ukraine continues to rage on. Civilians and first responders face real dangers every day…” This is a quote from the US Department of State’s spokesperson, Heather Nauert’s press briefing held in Washington on the 22^nd of February.

On the 23^rd of February, Sabina Halytska was buried with military honors in her native village of Bastova Rudnia.

Illia Serbin

Illia Tarasovych Serbin was born in 1993. He lived in the village of Kryukivshchyna of Svyatoshyn district, Kyiv region.

The guy joined the army as a volunteer. He served in the 54^th and 131^st reconnaissance battalions. Later he was transferred to the “Kyiv Rus” 25^th motorized infantry battalion. He asked about the transfer to get closer to his wife. Yulia Mykytenko, a former “Vidsich” activist, is currently being a servicewoman with the AFU. The couple got married during the war, in 2015. Their love story constituted a part of the photo project titled “If there wasn’t war”.

The serviceman with the 25^th “Kiyv Rus” motorized infantry battalion of the 54^th Motorized Infantry Brigade, Illia Serbin was killed near Svitlodarsk bulge during mortar shelling: on the 22^nd of February he got a critical wound to his neck. The hero was buried in his native village of Kryukivshchyna on the 25^th of February.

Oleksandr Sivko

Sivko Oleksandr Volodymyrovych was born on the 7^th of May, 1998, in a small town of Piskivka, Borodyanka district, Kyiv region.

In 2016 he graduated from Kyiv professional college of construction and public utilities where he got the qualification of an electrician and motor transport fitter.

In May of 2017 Sashko signed a contract for military service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. After completion of a training course at the “Desna” military center he joined the 1^st battalion of the 95^th Air Assault Brigade based in Zhytomyr.

On the 25^th of February he was killed by an enemy sniper gunshot on the “Butivka coalmine” position near Avdiivka, Donetsk region. He was just 19 years old. He is survived by his parents and elder brother.

Oleksandr Kazmirov

Oleksandr Kazmirov was born in the village of Shcherbani, Starosynyavskyi district, Khmelnytsk region.

Sashko entered his service on signing a contract with the AUF in 2016. The 21-year-old serviceman of the Danylo the King 24^th Mechanized Brigade of the AFU, Oleksandr Kazmirov got wounded in a landmine explosion on the 18^th of February. He was evacuated to Kharkiv hospital. For a week, he was in a coma. Having not regained consciousness, he passed away on the night of 26^th of February.

The fighter was buried on the first day of spring, 1^st of March, in the village of Sharivka, Yarmolynetskyi district, his father’s homeland.

Eternal glory to the fallen heroes who sacrificed their lives for Ukraine!

People’s Project Volunteer Center is deeply thankful to Novynarnia media outlet and personally to Mr. Dmytro Lykhoviy