Ukrainian officials reported intensive movement of troops and equipment from Russia to rebel-held territories. After the insurgent leaders held an election in Donbas on Nov. 2, Ukraine says it will rethink the truce. Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko has already announced his plan to abolish the law granting special status to the Donbas.
The truce is broken almost daily, Ukrainian officials report, as Kremlin-backed insurgents have violated the terms of agreement more than 2,400 times. Some 100 Ukrainian servicemen have been killed and over 600 fighters wounded since Sept. 5, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported on Nov. 4. At least 1,096 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since the start of the anti-terrorist operation, according to the Kyiv Post count. The civilian death toll stands at 4,035 as of Oct. 29, the United Nations estimated.
The
following is the list of those known to be killed through Oct. 16 – Nov. 2:
Oct. 16
Andriy Bernatskiy, a soldier of 93 mechanized brigade from Lviv. He used to live in Dnipropetrovsk and was an active EuroMaidan
Revolution supporter. He was killed in an ambush near Kostyantynivka village in
Donetsk Oblast. Bernatskiy tried to rescue his comrades when the sniper shot
him. He leaves a wife and a 12-year-old daughter in Dnipropetrovsk.
Maksym Solonar, 20, a soldier of 17th
armored brigade from Cherkasy. Solonar was mobilized to the army in September
and was killed near Popasna in Donetsk Oblast.
Valeriy Bonyakivskiy, 43, Dnipro-1 Battalion member from Poltava. He was a professional pilot.
His friends recalled Bonyakivskiy’s hobby was painting and sword collecting. He
volunteered to the east since the start of the anti-terrorist operation. Bonyakivskiy
was killed during the shelling near Pisky in Donetsk Oblast. He leaves a wife
and three daughters in his native Poltava.
Oct. 17
Volodymyr Tytarchuk, 45, captain of the 5th unit of Goncharivske
tank brigade from Chernihiv. He was mobilized to the army in March. Tytarchuk
was mortally wounded during the shelling while he was bringing ammunition to Donetsk
airport defenders, mostly known as cyborgs for their toughness. One of the
volunteers, Serhiy Zosymenko, made a video about Tytarchuk where he explains
that he didn’t understood earlier how important is it to defend his country. “And
my son’s proud of me now, because I couldn’t sit at home when our boys are fighting,”
Tytarchuk was quoted as saying.
Serhiy Horobets, 27, a
member of Batkivshchyna 34th
territorial battalion from Kirovohrad Oblast. He
volunteered to the army in June and was killed near Ozeryanivka checkpoint in
Donetsk Oblast when Russia-backed insurgents opened fire at his group.
Serhiy Poluliakh, 31, a soldier of 93 mechanized
brigade, he volunteered to the army in April. He was wounded while defending
Donetsk airport. He was carried to Krasnoarmisk city hospital where he died
later. Poluliakh planned to marry next month. He leaves his parents, a brother
and a pregnant fiancé in Zaporizhzhiya Oblast.
Oct. 18
Yevhen Kravets, 26, a gunner from Odesa Oblast. He used to serve at Odesa territorial defense battalion since May. He
was mortally wounded when Russia-backed insurgents opened fire near Orlovske checkpoint
in Donetsk Oblast. His brother also serves in the country’s east. He leaves his
parents in Raukhivka village in Odesa Oblast.
Oleksandr Orlyk, 31, unit commander of Odesa territorial
defense battalion. He was killed near Orlovske checkpoint in Donetsk Oblast on
Oct. 18.
Oleksandr Rovniy, 23, a soldier of 92 mechanized brigade from Sumy Oblast. He was killed during the artillery
shelling near Vilkhove village in Luhansk Obalst. His comrade and commander of
the unit Serhiy Skakun recalled Rovniy was “cheerful and kind young man.” “We
used to fight together, shared food, he told me about his plans for the future,”
Skakun said during the mourning on Oct. 27. He leaves a wife and a child in
Richky village in Sumy Oblast.
Oct. 19
Viktor Hurniak, 27, Aidar Battalion member. Hurniak used to work as a photographer for
Reuters, UNIAN news agency and INSIDER, Ukrainian news website. He volunteered
to the war zone in August. Hurniak was killed during the shelling near
Bakhmutka checkpoint in Luhansk Oblast. He leaves a wife and two-year-old daughter
in Lviv.
Taras Mykhalskiy, 34, a soldier of 24th mechanized
brigade from Ternopil Oblast. He volunteered to the war zone in summer. Mykhalskiy
was killed trying to breach a checkpoint near Triokhizbenka village in Luhansk
Oblast controlled by Kremlin-backed insurgents. His family still awaits his
body to mourn him.
Andriy Tkachenko, 35, a soldier of 93 mechanized brigade
from Kirovohrad Oblast. He was mobilized to the army in early August. He was fighting
in Donetsk airport and was killed near Krasnoarmiisk in Donetsk Oblast. He
leaves his parent, a wife and a 4-year-old child.
Andriy Dudyn, 37, a soldier of 80th airborne
brigade from Lviv. He was killed near Smile village in Luhansk Oblast. Dudyn
leaves a wife and two children in Lviv.
Oct. 20
Yuriy Horoshko, a soldier of 43rd territorial defense battalion from
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. He was mobilized to the army in September. He was killed
in Artemivsk in Donetsk Oblast. Horoshko leaves his wife and two children in
Kryviy Rih.
Oct. 22
Roman Krutko, 38, a soldier from Poltava Oblast. He volunteered to the army in
September. He was driving in a car with his comrades to Mariupol when a group
of gunmen started firing. He managed to rescue his comrades, and was the last to
leave the car when a sniper killed him. Krutko leaves a wife and two daughters
in Vovchyk village in Poltava Oblast.
Oct. 26
Dan Kolisnyk, 24, a unit commander of 140th
special center. Kolisnyk, native of Khmelnytskiy Oblast, was a professional
serviceman. He was killed near Sofiivka village in Luhansk Oblast. His friend, Denys
Prysiazhniy, says Kolisnyk’s family didn’t know where he was serving even
though he tried to stay connected with his family. “We sent a package to Dan a
few days ago, but he never got it. I still don’t believe he’s dead,” Prysiazhniy
was quoted as saying. Kolisnyk leaves a wife and his twin sons in Khmelnytskiy.
Oct. 27
Yaroslav Kostyshyn, 34, a soldier from Ivano Frankivsk.
He was killed during artillery shelling near Avdiivka town in Donetsk Oblast. Kostyshyn
leaves a wife and two children.
Oct. 28
Ihor Yukhymets, 55, Ukraine’s National Guard soldier. He volunteered
to the army in August and was deployed to the country’s east in early October.
He was killed during the shelling near Mariupol when Russia-backed insurgents opened
fire using Utes machine gun. Yukhymets wanted to make sure all his soldiers made
it to a shelter, and was mortally wounded then.
Fedir Lypchak, Aidar Battalion member from
Zakarpattia Oblast. He was an acolyte at the local church. Lypchak was an
active EuroMaidan Revolution supporter and later volunteered to the east. He
leaves a wife, a daughter and a son in Kyiv Oblast.
Oct. 29
Artem Korniev, 23, a member of special unit of Ukraine’s Naval
Forces. Korniev was wounded when Russia-backed terrorists opened fire using
Grad missile launcher some 19 kilometers outside Mariupol. He lost both legs and
died in one of Mariupol city hospitals. He leaves his parents and a brother.
Oct. 31
Oleksandr Kolivoshko, 21, Ukraine’s National Guard soldier from Vinnytsia Oblast. He was mobilized
to the army in August. Kolivoshko was killed during the shelling near Donetskiy
village in Luhansk Oblast.
Nov. 1
Viktor Redkyn, 37, Ukraine’s National Guard soldier from Chernivtsi. He was mobilized to the
army in September. Redkyn was killed on his birthday when Russia-backed insurgents
opened fire using Grad missile launcher near Krymske village in Luhansk Obalst.
Nov. 2
Yuriy Kruhlikov, 37, soldier of the 3rd Territorial Defense Battalion
from Lviv Oblast. Kruhlikov was a professional servicemen, he used to serve in Iraq
as a member of Ukrainian peacekeeping contingent and Sierra Leone. He was
killed near Starobilsk in Luhansk Oblast. He leaves a wife and two sons.
Hennadiy Khytryk, 38, a chief of combat training group at
Ukraine’s National Guard. Khytryk was a professional serviceman. He leaves
three children and a wife in Vinnytsia Oblast. Khytryk’s brother also takes
part in the anti-terrorist operation in the east of the country.
Kyiv Post staff writer Olena Goncharova can be reached at [email protected]
