Colonel Serhiy Gubanov, the commander of Ukraine’s Luhansk-1 special task police battalion, has been killed in the Donbas war zone, according to the country’s National Police.
Late on May 20, the senior officer’s vehicle struck a landmine in an area near the front line not far from the city of Triokhizbenka in Luhansk Oblast, some 630 kilometers southeast of Kyiv.
Gubanov died from fragmentation wounds at the scene, according to the police report. Three other police servicemen were hospitalized in critical condition.
“Gone is a reliable friend, a real battalion leader who sincerely loved Ukraine and hated the occupants,” the National Police said.
“Gone is a wise mentor and teacher who was a role model for young police service members and an arch-enemy of Russian mercenaries.”
Colonel Serhiy Gubanov, the commanding officer of the Luhansk-1 police battalion, was killed late on May 20, 2020.Ω
The Luhansk-1 police force was formed in Dnipro as a volunteer battalion in May 2014. Later, the formation was placed under the command of the Ministry of Interior of Ukraine and participated in hostilities in Luhansk Oblast.
Among its key tasks is to patrol and enforce law and order in populated areas near the front line.
Serhiy Gubanov had led the battalion since November 2015.
