Themes by tag: dead

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

A screening of the documentary “Dance With Fire” will take place at the War Museum in Kyiv on May 12.

The film tells the story of Vadym Khlupianets — a ballet performer with the Kyiv National Academic Operetta Theatre who traded the stage for the battlefield and was killed defending Ukraine’s independence.

After the start of russia’s aggression against Ukraine in 2014, Khlupianets was forced to leave his hometown of Donetsk and relocate to the Zhytomyr region. A graduate of the Kyiv Choreographic School, he worked at the Kyiv National Academic Operetta Theatre before joining Ukraine’s defense forces following russia’s full-scale invasion.

He first served in the ranks of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces before later joining the Freedom Legion of the National Guard of Ukraine. Vadym Khlupianets was killed at the age of 26 on Nov. 15, 2022, during battles near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region.

The event will also feature a meeting with the film’s creators, including Memorial Platform co-founder Haiane Avakian and the film’s director, Diana Zhvinklis.

Journalists are required to obtain accreditation.

Background: The screening is organized jointly with the Memorial Platform.

• dead
• military
• Kyiv

Olha and Serhii Hrianyk’s son, Oleksandr Hrianyk, joined the Azov Brigade shortly after graduating from university. From 2015, he served near Mariupol.

Later, Oleksandr joined a sniper unit known as “Znaky.” In early February 2022, he left military service and set off for the Carpathian Mountains, as he had always loved hiking.

However, when russia launched its full-scale invasion, he immediately returned to the military. He took part in battles in the Kyiv region and sought to rejoin his comrades in Mariupol. When Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) offered him the opportunity to join a special operation in the besieged city, he agreed immediately. Oleksandr was wounded on his first day in Mariupol but continued defending the city for another month.

He was killed when russian forces used white phosphorus munitions against the Azovstal steel plant, where Ukrainian defenders were holding out. His mother learned of his death through social media.

On the anniversary of his death, his father, together with Oleksandr’s friends, climbed Mount Hoverla. Around 150 people responded to the call to join the hike, leading his parents to realize that the initiative was needed, as it supports those who have lost loved ones in the war.

Today, families of fallen service members continue to join Olha and Serhii on these hikes.

Interviews with Serhii and Olha can be arranged online or in person upon request.

• dead
• military
• russian crimes

Oleksii Naidenko joined Ukraine’s defense in 2014, serving in the 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade. Prior to that, he had worked for more than 15 years as a boatswain on gas carriers. After the start of the full-scale invasion, he returned from abroad to defend the country again, this time serving in the 67th Separate Mechanized Brigade (DUK PS).

In 2023, he was discharged from military service due to health reasons. On November 25, 2024, he died in hospital as a result of complications from his injuries.

His wife, Olena, has been involved in volunteer work since 2016. She founded the initiative group “Cherkasy Charivnytsi,” which prepares dry rations and ready-to-eat meals in retort pouches for soldiers on the frontline and visits wounded defenders in hospitals.

The couple has a 13-year-old son, Matvii Naidenko. He is an eighth-grade student and actively participates in sports, including competitions under the “Side by Side” initiative (rugby, football, handball). Since 2020, the family has also taken part in charity runs and marathons in support of the military.

According to his mother, Matvii was very close to his father. While his father worked at sea, the boy helped at home, and after his loss, he became a strong support for his mother and actively participates in volunteer work.

The family has remained in Cherkasy. Matvii is a beneficiary of the “Children of Heroes” Charitable Foundation.

In 2025, one of Matvii’s dreams was to receive an autograph from Ukrainian footballer Artem Dovbyk. This wish was fulfilled with the support of Daniel Salem and Lida Lee. He is now focused on football and preparing to enter a football academy.

Journalists can arrange interviews with the family online by prior arrangement.

• children
• dead
• military
• women

A memorial run in honor of Hero of Ukraine and Azov fighter Maksym Kahal will take place in Kyiv on March 29. The event is organized by the NGO “Association of Azovstal Defenders’ Families.”

Maksym Kahal, call sign “Piston,” was a Hero of Ukraine and served as a senior lieutenant in the Azov Regiment (now the 12th Special Forces Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine). He was also a professional athlete and a world champion in ISKA kickboxing among adults.

Maksym Kahal was killed on March 25, 2022, during the defense of Mariupol.

Registration is required to participate.

• dead
• military

Dafna Sosnovska is the co-founder of the “Zavdyaky” project. The idea for the initiative emerged from her frustration with how Ukraine has commemorated those killed since the beginning of the russian-Ukrainian war in 2014. In 2023, she decided to take action, bringing together a team of like-minded people, and the project began to take shape.

“Zavdyaky” aims not only to honor those who died for Ukraine, but also to tell the stories of their lives, dreams, values, and contributions to the fight for freedom. Anyone can contribute to the project, as the team’s main priority is to preserve every memory of the fallen.

The platform combines a database, documentary films, and personal profiles that allow relatives, friends, fellow service members, and acquaintances to share their memories. The team is currently working on an ambitious goal to collect information on everyone who has been killed since 2014 and to create documentary films telling their stories.

Journalists can speak with Dafna Sosnovska and the project team both online and in person in Kyiv, by prior arrangement.

• dead
• military
• women
• Kyiv