But at least 20 Ukrainian servicemen have been killed during the last three weeks, despite the cease-fire announced on Sept. 5. While the official death toll stands at around 900, some think the real death toll may be twice as high. Svyatoslav Oliynyk, deputy head of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast administration, said on Sept. 19 that the number of soldiers killed may be 2,000.
The following is the list of victims known to be killed between Sept. 10-22:
Sept. 22
Stepan Stefurak, 19, soldier from Ivano Frankivsk Oblast. He volunteered to the Right Sector Volunteer Corps after the EuroMaidan Revolution. He used to be a student of Ternopil Technical University. His mother didn’t know her son was taking part in country’s anti-terrorist operation.
Oleksiy Pinchuk, 35, soldier of Right Sector Volunteer Corps from Dnipropetrovsk. He was killed during the shelling near Pisky village in Donetsk Oblast. He leaves a wife and a child in his native city.
Sept. 21
Serhiy Deren, 20, Ukraine’s National Guard Soldier. Deren was mortally wounded by the shell-splinter near the checkpoint close to Mariupol city. He leaves his parents in Vinnytsia Oblast.
Sept. 20
Yevhen Moskalenko, 24, military driver from Zaporizhzhiya. He was a member of Khortytsia territorial battalion and was taking part in the anti-terrorist operation since April. Moskalenko was killed in a car that trapped on mine near the city of Mariupol. He leaves a wife and a son.
Vadym Myrinets, 25, a soldier of 92 mechanized brigade from Kharkiv Oblast. He was mobilized to the country’s east in August. He was killed near Shastya village in Luhansk Oblast after the attack of Russia-backed militants.
Vitaliy Lavrenchuk, 38, lieutenant-colonel of Pivnich territorial battalion. He was deployed to the country’s war zone since the start of the anti-terrorist operation. He was killed when Kremlin-backed militants opened fire near one of the checkpoints of Ukrainian army in Luhansk Obalst. Lavrenchuk was mourned in Malyi Vyshnopil village in Khmelnytskiy Oblast where his parents leave. He leaves a wife and two children.
Two police officers from Storm special police battalion of Odesa died overnight Sept. 20 in a car accident near Dmytrivka village in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. The policemen where on the way home from Luhansk Oblast. One of them, Oleksandr Lysokon, 39, once was an entrepreneur in Odesa, but then volunteered to the battalion. Another victim of the accident, Oleksandr Romanyuk, 25, also volunteered to the war zone. He leaves his parents and two brothers in Odesa. His last note he posted to his vKontakte page reads “War never changes.”
Sept. 18
Oleh Habinet, 25, the soldier of 17th tank brigade of Kryvyi Rih. Habinet, native of Sasivka village in Kirovohrad Oblast, was killed near Pisky village during the fight for Donetsk airport that now is under control of Ukrainian army.
Sept. 17
Heorhiy Toropovskiy, 18, the member of the 40th Kryvbas battalion from Kyiv Oblast. He volunteered to the war zone in the end of June and was killed by Kremlin-backed miitants overnight Sept. 17. His relatives still don’t know how he was killed. His friend, Vasyl Shvets recalled Toropovskiy was very “smart and extraordinary young man.” “When we found out he was killed, we couldn’t believe,” Shvets said. “He’s a hero for us – he made such a tough choice when he was 18, many of those who’s older don’t go to the east, but he did. He always wanted to fight for truth.” He leaves his mom in Boryspil.
Sept. 15
Andriy Charkas, 38, sergeant from Lviv Oblast. He was mobilized to the army in the end of July. His compatriots recalled Charkas was always ready to help. He was mortally wounded in his head during the shootout near Debaltsevo in Donetsk Oblast, 10 days after the truce was declared. Charkas leaves a wife and two children.
Sept. 14
Oleksandr Kozenko, 24, Kyivan Rus battalion member. He used to be a dancer of a local dancing group. His relatives recalled Kozenko volunteered to the war zone after he spent months on Kyiv Maidan Nezalezhnosti. He was calling his mother and sister almost daily. Kozenko was mortally wounded at the checkpoint near Debaltseve on Sept. 14.
Oleksandr Maksymov, 40, Ukraine’s Armed Forces captain. He was working at the local military commissariat in Poltava, but then volunteered to the war zone himself. He was killed in an ambush in Donetsk Oblast. Maksymov leaves a wife and a son.
Oleh Kulyhin, 43, captain of the 3rd special unit of Kirovohrad. He used to work as a miner, but then was mobilized to the east of the country. Kulyhin was killed during the fight for Donetsk airport. He leaves a wife and two children in his native Kirovohrad.
Yevhen Podolyanchuk, 23, used to be a member of Ukrainian Scouting Plast organization and then become a soldier of the 3rd special unit of Kirovohrad. He went to the country’s east in March. He wanted to make it to Ukraine’s Security Service Alpha special operations unit. Podolyanchuk was wounded in fight for Donetsk airport and died on the way to the hospital.
Viktor Kislovskiy, 45, Dnipro-1 Battalion member. He was killed near Pisky village in Donetsk Oblast.
Vadym Demydenko, 42, a member of 92nd mechanized brigade of Kharkiv Oblast. He was killed during his second deployment to the war zone.
Denys Khanchych, 22, a soldier of Kyivan Rus territorial battalion. He was serving in the country’s east for more than four months, but keep contact with his family. His friend, Oleksandr Shmatko, recalled Khanchych didn’t shy away from military service. “I always asked him whether he’s healthy, but he didn’t like to talk much on the phone,” Shmatko was quoted as saying. He leaves his parents and a sister in native Vyzhhorod.
Sept. 12
Oleksandr Bahnyuk, 37, soldier of 72nd mechanized brigade from Bila Tserkva. He was serving in the country’s east since March. Bahnyuk was killed near Starobesheve in Donetsk Oblast. He leaves a wife and two children.
Vadym Loboda, 30, soldier of Chernihiv-2 battalion. He was deployed to the war zone in May. Loboda was killed near Stanytsia Luhanska village on Sept. 12.
Sept. 10
Viktor Yeremenko, 21, Ukraine’s National Guard soldier. Yeremenko was raised by his grandmother in Cherkasy Oblast. He volunteered to the army when mobilization started. His friends recalled Yeremenko was an active EuroMaidan Revolution supporter. “Thank you for defending our country,” his friend, Dmytro Syniak, posted to Yeremenko vKontakte page.
Sept. 9
Three Ukrainian border guards have been killed and two were injured in a landmine blast near Baranykivka village in Luhansk Oblast. One of the victims Oleksandr Maksymenko, 24, native of Volyn Oblast. He leaves his parents and a pregnant wife in Volodymyr-Volynskiy. Yuriy Lukyantsev, 35, border guard from Luhansk Oblast. He leaves a wife and a six-year-old daughter. Viacheslav Kuznetsov, 39, sergeant-major of Bilovodsk unit of Ukraine’s Border Guard Service. He was mobilized to the country’s war zone. Kuznetsov leaves a wife and two children.
Sept. 8
Yevhen Dobrovyk, 24, a soldier of 8th special unit of Khmelnytskiy. He was wounded on Sept. 4 in fight with Russia-backed militants in Luhansk Oblast. He received treatment in Lviv military hospital, however, Dobrovyk died four days later because of the injures. “We still can’t believe Yevhen is dead,” his former classmate, Lyudmyla Fedosiy, posted on her vKontakte page.
Kyiv Post staff writer Olena Goncharova can be reached at [email protected]
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