Themes by tag: dead

On July 12, Khartiia Hub in Lviv will host a memorial tour dedicated to the life and legacy of combat medic Iryna Tsybukh.

The tour will be led by licensed guide and Iryna’s brother, Yurii Tsybukh, who will share personal stories that offer a deeper understanding of her remarkable life and character.

Participants will:

• visit places that played an important role in Iryna’s civic activism;
• reflect on her values, discuss ways of preserving memory, and explore how remembrance can be transformed into meaningful everyday actions.

The tour will conclude at Iryna’s burial site.

Background: Iryna Tsybukh, a paramedic with the Hospitallers volunteer medical battalion known by the call sign “Cheka,” was killed on May 29, 2024, during a troop rotation in the Kharkiv sector. She was 25 years old.

She joined the volunteer battalion in February 2022. Before the full-scale invasion, she worked as a reform manager at Suspilne, Ukraine’s public broadcaster, and led educational projects in remote villages across the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

• dead
• military
• Lviv

Memorial services for fallen Ukrainian healthcare workers will be held simultaneously in 20 countries around the world on July 10, 2026.

The organizers are calling on hospitals, healthcare institutions, military medical units, clergy, and media organizations to join the commemorative initiative through the following acts of remembrance:

Joint memorial service in Kyiv. A memorial service for fallen healthcare workers will be held at St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery with the participation of members of the Honorary Council of the Order, government officials, the medical community, and the families of the fallen heroes. A flower-laying ceremony at the memorial alley near the monastery will follow.

Minute of silence and nationwide bell ringing. With the support of the clergy, churches across Ukraine participating in the initiative will ring memorial bells. At the same time, a nationwide minute of silence will be observed, accompanied by a special audio recording of a heartbeat fading into silence.

Flashing lights of honor. Healthcare institutions and ambulance services are invited to briefly switch on the emergency lights of ambulances as a tribute to their fallen colleagues.

“White Coat” installation. Hospitals and healthcare institutions will continue the tradition of placing an empty chair draped with a white medical coat or military camouflage uniform, accompanied by photographs of healthcare workers from the institution who lost their lives.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022, it has become clear that not only soldiers defending Ukraine on the front line are being killed in the war. russian forces have deliberately targeted Ukrainian healthcare workers.

The Order of Saint Panteleimon has joined efforts with its Regional Councils and the National Scientific Medical Library of Ukraine to collect, verify, and document information about healthcare professionals who have given their lives for Ukraine’s freedom since 2014.

Together with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, July 10 has been designated as the All-Ukrainian Day of Remembrance for Fallen Healthcare Workers. The date was chosen symbolically, two weeks before Ukraine’s Medical Workers’ Day, observed on July 27.

Journalists can request additional information and media materials about the event.

Background: The Order of Saint Panteleimon, awarded for professionalism and compassion, is Ukraine’s highest and most prestigious public award in healthcare, often referred to as the country’s “Medical Oscar.” Established in 2009, it has operated as a large-scale civic initiative since 2017. The Order has a unique structure that includes an Honorary Council composed of senior state officials, church leaders, prominent scientists, and leading medical professors, as well as regional branches throughout Ukraine and 20 international councils. Today, the Order brings together the country’s leading healthcare professionals and includes around 270 recipients whose dedication has embodied the principles of compassion. As the coordinator of the Memory Light initiative, the Order fulfills its highest moral mission by preserving the memory of those who protected the lives of others until their last breath.

Today, the Memory Light initiative is much more than a commemorative date. It is a large-scale project dedicated to supporting the families of fallen healthcare workers and preserving the memory of their lives and service.

• dead
• doctors
• Kyiv

The program of this year’s festival includes discussions and public conversations, excursions and musical performances, theatrical and music-poetic performances. The festival participants and speakers are Oksana Zabuzhko, Serhiy Zhadan, Yuliia “Taira” Paievska, Pavlo Kazarin, Vakhtang Kipiani, Kateryna Kalytko, Mariana Sadovska, Svitlana Povaliayeva, Sasha Koltsova, Valeriy Puzik, Anton Slepakov, The Harmyder Theater, and the band Zhadan i Sobaky.

On the opening day of the festival, July 3, a press briefing for the media will take place on the lawn of Protasiv Yar with the participation of organizers and guests. Immediately after the briefing, the official opening will take place with an introductory speech by Oksana Zabuzhko.

Media accreditation is required.

Reference: The Protasiv Yar festival was founded in memory of public activist and scout of the 93rd Kholodnyi Yar Brigade, Roman Ratushnyi (call sign Seneka).

• culture
• dead
• military
• Kyiv

On July 5, a tournament in memory of Maksym Kahal — Hero of Ukraine and platoon commander in the “Azov” Regiment (now the 12th Special Purpose Brigade of the NGU “Azov”) — will take place in Kyiv. Maksym was a world kickboxing champion. The soldier died during the defense of Mariupol and “Azovstal” as a result of a russian aerial bomb. Maksym lived for sports and the Ukrainian military — the soldier joined “Azov” in 2015. He taught his fellow soldiers kickboxing and CrossFit. 

The tournament is timed to the soldier’s birthday. Everyone interested can join the event. 

The mother of the fallen serviceman will be present at the tournament.

• dead
• military
• Kyiv

Dmytro Yehizarov (“Kok”) was a participant in the Revolution of Dignity, an entrepreneur, a loving husband, and a father of three. On January 5, 2023, he joined the defense of the Motherland as part of the 33rd Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Serving as a Stugna anti-tank missile system operator, he carried out combat missions in the Zaporizhzhia and Pokrovsk directions. Despite suffering a spinal injury, concussions, and a shrapnel wound, he constantly returned to duty to fight against the occupiers.

On June 20, 2024, Dmytro was killed in action in the village of Peremoha, Donetsk Region. Before his death, he destroyed four units of enemy armored vehicles and damaged two tanks, halting an enemy mechanized assault.

Dmytro’s brother, Roman, launched a petition to posthumously award the Defender the title of Hero of Ukraine, which quickly gathered the required number of signatures. On June 3, 2026, the President issued the corresponding decree.

The memory of the warrior has been immortalized with a memorial plaque at School No. 177 in Kyiv, at the museum of Vadym Hetman Kyiv National Economic University, and in the M. M. Hryshko National Botanical Garden, where a memorial bench was installed and a maple tree was planted in Dmytro’s honor in the Indonesian Garden.

The memorial event will be attended by the soldier’s mother Alla Ihorivna, his wife Olena, his daughter Daria, his brother Roman, his friends Andrii and Kyrylo, and his colleague Olha. Speeches will be delivered by Olha Korabliova, a representative of the Scientific Council of the Botanical Garden, and Mykola Haponiuk, Deputy Head of the Department of Finance at KNEU.

Media accreditation is required to attend the event.

• dead
• military
• Kyiv

Angelina’s father served in the 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade. He was killed in action on June 13, 2023, near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region.

Currently, Angelina lives with her mother, Mariana, in Kropyvnytskyi and is a second-grade student. The girl has a passion for creative arts, attends a modeling agency, participates in photoshoots and runway shows.

Mariana works for a charitable foundation, where she provides daily assistance to other families affected by the war.

The family is available for in-person or online interviews by prior arrangement.

Reference: The “Children of Heroes” Charity Fund supports children who have lost one or both parents to the war. The fund offers immediate, personalized assistance, including humanitarian aid, psychological and medical support, as well as educational and development opportunities for children until they reach adulthood.

• children
• dead
• military
• women

A jiu-jitsu memorial tournament will be held in Kyiv on June 13, supported by the Forces Support Battalion and the Medical Service of the “Azov” Regiment, whose ranks included fighters who practiced the martial art.

The tournament is dedicated to the students of the Rocket jiu-jitsu school who lost their lives defending Ukraine. Through sport, competition, community, and mutual support, the participants and organizers aim to honor their memory.

Registration is required to attend the event.

• dead
• Kyiv

A memorial event dedicated to the anniversary of the deaths of State Emergency Service of Ukraine personnel Pavlo Yezhor, Andrii Remennyi and Danylo Skadin will take place at the War Museum on June 7.

On June 6, 2025, russia launched another large-scale attack against Ukraine. At the time, it was one of the most extensive assaults of the full-scale war: the enemy deployed 407 drones of various types and 44 ballistic and cruise missiles. Kyiv and the Kyiv region, as well as the Kharkiv, Poltava, Chernihiv, Rivne, Khmelnytskyi, Volyn, Lviv and Ternopil regions, came under attack.

In the capital, up to 30 people were injured, including nine State Emergency Service employees. Three firefighters from Kyiv’s 18th State Fire and Rescue Unit, who were responding to the aftermath of the strikes, were killed when a russian drone carried out a secondary strike at 4:35 a.m.

Family members, friends and colleagues will remember Pavlo, Andrii and Danylo, who, despite the danger, were always among the first to come to the aid of others.

The discussion will be moderated by Hanna Lehkokonets, head of a museum sector department.

• dead
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Alyona is originally from the Kharkiv region. She now lives in the Poltava region and serves in the Ukrainian military. She is raising two children.

Her husband, Denys, was a lieutenant colonel and military pilot who served as deputy squadron commander and squadron navigator.

Denys completed more than 80 combat missions. He was awarded the Order for Courage, Third Class, as well as the Ministry of Defence distinction “Personalized Firearm”. He was killed on March 27, 2023, while carrying out a combat mission. His aircraft was shot down by russian forces over the Chernihiv region. The pilot attempted to steer the aircraft away from a populated area and did not have time to eject.

Subject to prior arrangement, the family is available for both in-person and online interviews.

• dead
• military
• women
• Poltava

A public event titled “To Lay Down One’s Life for One’s Friends” will take place at the War Museum in Kyiv on May 24 in memory of Ukrainian defenders Liubomyr Sochenko and Anton Balanchuk.

Brothers-in-arms Sgt. Liubomyr Sochenko and Pvt. Anton Balanchuk served as part of a strike drone crew operating Vampire unmanned aerial systems within the 65th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. While carrying out combat missions in the Zaporizhzhia direction, they destroyed enemy assault groups, military equipment, and fortifications. The soldiers continued combat operations even after sustaining injuries.

During their service, the crew destroyed more than 20 armored and military vehicles, eliminated 72 russian troops, and disabled or destroyed nearly 500 enemy fortifications.

Liubomyr Sochenko and Anton Balanchuk were killed on Sept. 16, 2025, near the village of Novodanylivka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast as a result of an enemy drone strike.

The event will focus on the defenders’ personal stories, memories shared by their relatives, and discussions on remembrance as a way of preserving human lives in national history.

As part of the event, Marina Sochenko — an artist, volunteer, and mother of Liubomyr Sochenko — and Yuliia Balanchuk, Anton Balanchuk’s wife, will speak with attendees. The families will also donate personal belongings and archival materials of the fallen defenders to the War Museum’s collection.

The event will feature photo and video materials, as well as paintings by Marina Sochenko related to the war.

The discussion will be moderated by Liubov Krupnyk, senior research fellow at the War Museum

• dead
• military
• Kyiv