Here we honour the Ukrainian soldiers – young and old – who laid down their lives in 2021 for the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
It is only thanks to the bravery and sacrifice of thousands of Ukrainian men and women that Ukraine has been able to resist Russia’s daily attacks and shelling in occupied Donbas. Sadly, the death toll is too high… and Ukraine has lost too many of its best and most talented sons and daughters in this war.
80 names, 80 faces (in 2020 there were 55), 80 Ukrainian soldiers who perished in the Russo-Ukrainian war in 2021.
Let us remember and honour each and every one of them:
1/ Oleh ANDRIYENKO, 56th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade, Mariupol. From Zaporizhzhia
2/ Oleksandr OTRIEPYEV, 36th Rear Admiral Mykhailo Bilynsky Separate Marine Infantry Brigade. From Mykolayiv Oblast
3/ Roman DZYUBENKO, 92nd Otaman Ivan Sirko Separate Mechanized Brigade. From Luhansk Oblast
4/ Dmytro VLASENKO, 503rd Separate Marine Infantry Battalion. From Mykolayiv Oblast
5/ Nazariy POLISHCHUK, 28th Knights of the Winter Campaign Separate Mechanized Brigade. From Cherkasy Oblast
6/ Oleksiy PODVEZENNY, 28th Knights of the Winter Campaign Separate Mechanized Brigade. From Luhansk Oblast
7/ Oleksandr HLUSHKO, 81st Separate Airmobile Brigade. From Poltava Oblast
8/ Vladyslav LYASHCHENKO, 28th Knights of the Winter Campaign Separate Mechanized Brigade. Born in Horlivka, Donetsk Ob last; lived in Odesa Oblast
9/ Oleksandr VOYTENKO, 81st Separate Airmobile Brigade. From Poltava Oblast
10/ Vyacheslav OLEKSIYENKO, 81st Separate Airmobile Brigade. From Poltava Oblast
11/ Dmytro MYRONENKO, 81st Separate Airmobile Brigade. From Kharkiv Oblast
12/ Serhiy PETRAUSKAS, 72nd Black Cossacks Separate Motorized Brigade. From Chernihiv Oblast
13/ Dmytro SARDAK, 59th Yakov Handziuk Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade. Odesa Oblast
14/ Serhiy MOISEYENKO, 36th Rear Admiral Mykhailo Bilynsky Separate Marine Infantry Brigade. From Kherson Oblast
15/ Volodymyr ONOPRIYENKO, Aidar Battalion, 53rd Prince Volodymyr Monomakh Separate mechanized Brigade. From Cherkasy Oblast
Oleh Andriyenko was born on August 22, 1983 in Zaporizhzhia. He was mobilized in March 2016, then signed a contract and remained in the army. Oleh served in paratrooper and marine divisions, and also in a reconnaissance unit. In the spring of 2020, he was transferred to the 37th Battalion of the 56th Brigade, where he served as senior Ukrainian soldier, shooter and assistant to the grenade launcher operator. “Oleh left the army twice during the war. He tried to live as a civilian, but army life beckoned. He was a good man, a great soldier and a staunch patriot…We all miss him. His death is a great loss.” said deputy commander of the 56th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Dmytro Herasymenko. Oleh’s son was born in the summer of 2020. For Oleh and his wife, Tymur was the child they had been expecting for 13 years. Oleh and his family spent the following New Year and Christmas holidays with his loved ones… and then returned to the front. On January 11, 2021, Russian occupation forces resumed their attacks on Ukrainian positions along the contact line. Oleh was killed by an enemy sniper near Pisky, Donetsk Oblast. According to the ‘Come Back Alive’ Foundation, Russian proxies had previously dismantled surveillance cameras installed by volunteers on contact line. Oleh Andriyenko is survived by his mother, wife and infant son. 16/ Oleksandr PEKUR, 54th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion. From Kyiv Oblast 17/ Viktor PASIEKA, 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade. Khmelnytsky Oblast 18/ Andriy HRABAR, 36th Rear Admiral Mykhailo Bilynsky Separate Marine Infantry Brigade. From Mykolayiv Oblast 19/ Kyrylo BYKOVSKY, 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade. From Kropyvnytsky 20/ Serhiy KOVAL, 143rd Demining Centre. From Kamyanets-Podilsky. 21/ Serhiy BARNYCH, 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade. From Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast 22/ Maksym ABRAMOVYCH, 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade. From Rivne Oblast 23/ Serhiy HAYCHENKO, 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade. From Dnipropetrovsk Oblast 24/ Serhiy SULYMA, 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade. From Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast 25/ Ihor BAYTALA, 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade. From Lviv Oblast 26/ Vladyslav MOROZ, 72nd Black Cossacks Separate Motorized Brigade. From Cherkasy Oblast 27/ Viktor HELEBRANT, 92nd Otaman Ivan Sirko Separate Mechanized Brigade. From Kharkiv Oblast 28/ Maksym STEBLYANKO, 1st Siversk Separate Tank Brigade. From Sumy Oblast 29/ Volodymyr SHPAK, 58th Hetman Ivan Vyhovsky Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade. From Chernihiv Oblast 30/ Denys YUSHKO, 36th Rear Admiral Mykhailo Bilynsky Separate Marine Infantry Brigade. From Mykolayiv Oblast Stanislav Bohuslavsky was born in Novomoskovsk, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on January 23, 1998. He served as junior sergeant in the 25th Sicheslvska Separate Airborne Brigade. He was killed by an enemy sniper near Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast on December 31, 2021, when people around the world were gathering to celebrate New Year’s. “His death is a great loss to us all… Junior sergeant Bohuslavsky was a sincere, open young man, always ready to lend a helping hand. He was well liked and respected by his comrades-in-arms. Eternal memory to our hero… We will never forget! We will never forgive!” say his brothers-in-arms from the 25th Brigade. His friend Ivan remembers him as a cheerful young man, as a soldier who, in a short time, became a warrior. “Stas was my kind of man. I trained him from the very beginning and he quickly rose to the rank of junior sergeant. He arrived here in 2018. He started his military career not far from here, in Kamyanets, just a few kilometres away. He started as a simple soldier and quickly reached a command position. He was experienced in combat and shared it with his men. They wanted to promote him to chief sergeant.” recalls his comrade-in-arms Oleksandr. 31/ Andriy TEPERYK, 92nd Otaman Ivan Sirko Separate Mechanized Brigade. From Kharkiv Oblast 32 / Yaroslav KARLIYCHUK, 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade. From Bukovyna 33/ Oleksiy MAMCHIY, 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade. From Bukovyna 34/ David SHARTAVA, 128th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade. Born in Georgia 35/ Oleksandr LUTSYK, 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade. From Volyn Oblast 36/ Ivan KOVALIOVSKY, 58th Hetman Ivan Vyhovsky Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade. From Dnipropetrovsk Oblast 37/ Roman HULYAK, 14th Prince Roman the Great Separate Motorized brigade. From Khmelnytsky Oblast 38/ Dmytro TOVCHYHRECHKA, 93rd Kholodny Yar Separate Mechanized Brigade. From Kryvyy Rih 39/ Serhiy KOROBTSOV, 58th Hetman Ivan Vyhovsky Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade. From Zhytomyr Oblast 40/ Yuri OPRYSHKO, Aidar Battalion, 53rd Prince Vladimir Monomakh Separate Motorized Brigade. From Poltava Oblast 41/ Viktor HORODNICHENKO, 81st Separate Airmobile Brigade. From Poltava Oblast 42/ Pavlo KOLESNYK, 81st Separate Airmobile Brigade. From Chernihiv Oblast 43/ Maksym POLIOVY, 128th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade. From Khmelnytsky Oblast 44/ Volodymyr BIELOV, 128th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade. From Kyiv Oblast 45/ Andriy HONAR, 58th Hetman Ivan Vyhovsky Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade. From Krivyy Rih When speaking of Yuriy, few of his army brothers are able to stop the tears welling up in their eyes. The 59-year-old doctor was not just an older brother, but also a father to most. Yuriy Pysmenny, call sign “Feofan”, was born on March 4, 1962. He lived in Dnipro. In 1987, he graduated from Dnipropetrovsk Medical Institute and worked as a gynecologist for over 20 years. He then retired and opened up a small business. But, the war changed everything. In 2016, Yuriy signed up as a volunteer medic with the Pyrohov First Volunteer Hospital. At the end of 2018, Yuriy Pismenny signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and headed the medical unit in the 93rd Kholodny Yar Separate Mechanized Brigade. “He saved dozens of lives. He treated every wounded fighter in the battalion. Yuriy was a highly skilled and experienced doctor, but always kind and generous. And also, he never gave up or backed down. We were all his children, and he was our father. He always had our back! He accepted all challenges, even the most difficult ones. And, he saved a lot of our men…” says the head of the brigade’s medical service Anatoliy Chuykin. As soon as he arrived, Yuriy immediately put things in order and assembled a highly professional team, which saved many lives. “My father was a saint. He loved and cared for people. He had a great sense of humour. He is a hero. And, you know what? Not only did he care about people, but also about animals and abandoned icons. My father finally found his place in the army.” writes his daughter Yevhenia. “We won’t be able to save everyone. A doctor must be strong in order to come to terms with this,” said Yuriy to his team members, teaching them to continue fighting and to not give up when a wounded soldier died despite their care and treatment. On July 4, 2021, in broad daylight, the Russian occupiers opened fire with anti-tank grenade launchers on Ukrainian positions near the village of Myrne, Donetsk Oblast. “Feofan” ran to help a wounded soldier, and was severely wounded by shell fragments. Volodymyr Bobalo, a senior Ukrainian soldier, drove Yuriy to the hospital. Speaking of that day, he is unable to hold back his tears. “We talked to him all the way. He asked us not to trouble his wife, tell her that he had a minor injury. Then, he asked for my phone and called his wife. He was conscious all the time; he even advised the doctors who accompanied him. We saved many people with similar injuries, but sadly Yuriy died on the operating table.” Yuriy is survived by his wife, adult son and daughter. 46/ Yuriy PYSMENNY, 93rd Kholodny Yar Separate Mechanized Brigade. From Dnipro. 47/ Bohdan BRODOVSKY, 93rd Kholodny Yar Separate Mechanized Brigade. From Vinnytsia Oblast 48/ Yevheniy KURASOV, 58th Hetman Ivan Vyhovsky Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade. From Sumy Oblast 49/ Volodymyr YASKIV, 24th King Danylo Separate Mechanized Brigade. From Ternopil Oblast 50/ Andriy BELIAYEV, 57th Otaman Kostia Hordiyenko Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade. From Dnipropetrovsk Oblast 51/ Oleksandr HORBENKO, 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade. From Kryvyy Rih 52/ Dmytro SYVOKON, 57th Otaman Kostia Hordiyenko Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade. From Kherson Oblast 53/ Yaroslav SEMENIAKA, 58th Hetman Ivan Vyhovsky Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade. From Sumy Oblast 54/ Oleksiy KAYDANOVYCH, 54th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion. From Zhytomyr Oblast 55/ Artem MAZUR, 28th Knights of the Winter Campaign Separate Mechanized Brigade. From Kropyvnytsky 56/ Vasyl OSTROVSKY, 24th King Danylo Separate Mechanized Brigade. From Lviv Oblast 57/ Yuriy MYKHAYLOV, 28th Knights of the Winter Campaign Separate Mechanized Brigade. From Mykolayiv Oblast 58/ Oleksandr AKSYONOV, 131st Separate Reconnaissance Battalion. From Boryspil, Kyiv Oblast 59/ Vyacheslav PITKO, 74th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion. Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Yuriy Mykhailov was just 21. He was born on February 14, 2000 in Mykolayiv. He grew up an orphan, but was raised by his grandmother. He was a serious, determined young man who took part in many sports. And, he dreamed of a military career. Yuriy’s dream finally came true. He graduated from the Hetman Petro Sahaidachny National Academy of Ground Forces in Lviv. He received a diploma and his epaulettes and was immediately deployed to the front. He was appointed platoon commander of the 28th Knights of the Winter Campaign Separate Mechanized Brigade. “I knew Yuriy before he began his military service. He was a responsible young man, decisive and ready for battle. He had many, many plans for the future,” recalls Deputy Company of a platoon of the 28th Brigade Oleh Shturypita. The young lieutenant was killed by a sniper bullet near Mariinka, Donetsk Oblast on August 22, 2021. 60/ Andriy VYSKREBETS, 74th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion. From Zaporizhzhia 61/ Roman ZADOROZHNY, 24th King Danylo Separate Mechanized Brigade. From Lviv Oblast 62/ Oleksiy KULENKO, 57th Otaman Kostia Hordiyenko Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade. From Kirovograd Oblast 63/ Denys HERMAN, 74th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion. From Zaporizhzhia 64 / Artur HOLUB, 503rd Separate Marine Infantry Battalion. From Zhytomyr Oblast 65/ Valentyn CHEPURNY, 57th Otaman Kostia Hordiyenko Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade. From Kherson Oblast 66/ Demyan DANYLIV, 57th Otaman Kostia Hordiyenko Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade. From Lviv Oblast 67/ Viktor MOLOSTOV, 54th Ivan Mazepa Separate Motorized Brigade. From Kharkiv Oblast 68/ Oleksiy STRYZHAK, 25th Sicheslvska Separate Airborne Brigade. From Dnipropetrovsk Oblast 69/ Heorhiy KHALIKOV, 93rd Kholodny Yar Separate Mechanized Brigade. From Odesa Oblast 70/ Viktor RACHUHIN, 17th Kostiantyn Pestushko Separate Tank Brigade. From Zaporizhzhia 71/ Serhiy YELYSIEYEV, 128th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade. From Dnipro 72/ Vitaliy PAVLYSKO, 24th King Danylo Separate Mechanized Brigade. From Lviv Oblast 73/ Vadym FEDOSIEYEV, 79th Separate Air Assault Brigade. From Mykolayiv Oblast 74/ Ruslan PRUSOV, 79th Separate Air Assault Brigade. From Mykolayiv Oblast 75/ Ubert MRACHKOVSKY, 8th Separate Special Purpose Regiment. From Khmelnytsky Oblast 76/ Ali ALKHASLI, 54th Ivan Mazepa Separate Motorized Brigade. From Kharkiv Oblast 77/ Valeriy HEROVKIN, 93rd Kholodny Yar Separate Mechanized Brigade. From Donetsk Oblast 78/ Stanislav ZAPOROZHETS, 74th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion. From Luhansk Oblast 79/ Stanislav BOHUSLAVSKY, 25th Sicheslvska Separate Airborne Brigade. From Dnipropetrovsk Oblast 80/ And let us not forget Hero of Ukraine, Colonel Oleksandr Petrakivsky, who served as commander of the 8th Separate Special Purpose Regiment. Oleksandr was gravely wounded in July 2014 and passed away in 2021 after a long fight for life. Вічна Пам’ять! Eternal Memory! Герої не вмирають! Heroes Never Die! On February 20, 2014, while most Ukrainians were fighting for their freedom and rights on the Maidan, Russia launched an armed aggression against Ukraine, seizing an important part of Ukrainian territory - the Crimean peninsula and the city of Sevastopol. The Russian Ministry of Defense has never denied this fact and even issued a medal inscribed with the words “On the return of Crimea”. The next day, Viktor Yanukovych fled Kyiv and the Ukrainian people found themselves facing early presidential elections. Putin’s next step was an attempt to destabilize the situation in the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine in order to form the so-called “Novorossiya”. Regular Russian troops and local militants proceeded to occupy certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. All told, Russian aggression has led to a devastating humanitarian situation. Over 15,000 people (civilians and soldiers) have been killed and thousands wounded and maimed. This includes 298 passengers of flight MH17 with 80 children, who were killed on July 17, 2014, when the Malaysian plane was shot down by a BUK missile system that had been transferred to occupied Donbas from the Russian Federation. Over 1,500,000 residents of Crimea and Donbas are now internally displaced persons (IDPs) after being compelled to leave their homes. Read more:
