At least 2,180 soldiers killed in Russia’s war against Ukraine

The
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s mission reported numerous
recent cease-fire violations near the ruined Donetsk airport over the weekend.
The observers, based at the central railway station in Donetsk, recorded roughly
600 explosions caused by artillery or mortar fire over two days, in addition to
small-arms fire.

Meanwhile,
Ukraine and the combined Russia-separatists forces have been accusing each
other of the attacks.

At least 6,500
people, including 68 children, have been killed and 16,287 wounded since fighting
broke out in Donbas in April 2014, according to the United Nations’ latest
report. The number of people internally displaced from their homes by the war
has topped 1.3 million, and is more than 2 million overall.

The Kyiv Post estimates that at least 2,180 soldiers have been killed, based on official reports, local media sources and information from relatives.

The following list is of those known to have been killed during the period of June 3-15:

June 3

Volodymyr Sheliag, 36, a soldier of the 3rd unit of Kirovohrad intelligence brigade. Sheliag
was mobilized into the army in February and was killed near Maryinka in Donetsk
Oblast. He leaves behind his mother, two sisters and three brothers in Rivne
Oblast.

Vitaliy Bilko, 27, a soldier of the 30th mechanized brigade
from Poltava Oblast. Bilko had been working at the local cheese factory
together with his father before he was mobilized into the Ukrainian army in September.
He was killed during mortar shelling near the village of Luhanske in Donetsk
Oblast. He leaves behind his parents in Prykhodky in Poltava Oblast.

Vitaliy Shevchenko, 47, a soldier of the 85th brigade
from Kyiv Oblast. He was mobilized into the Ukrainian army in February 2014 and
took part in operations along the Ukrainian-Russian border. His unit also
participated in battles for Sloviansk in July. Shevchenko was killed during the
shelling of Donetsk Oblast’s Maryinka. He leaves behind a wife and two
daughters in Rudnya in Kyiv Oblast.

Vasyl Pysarenko, 37, a soldier of the 28th mechanized brigade
from Poltava Oblast. He was killed in a battle for the city of Maryinka in
Donetsk Oblast as combined Russia-separatist forces opened fire on Ukrainian
positions. Pysarenko leaves behind a 16-old-daughter in Koby in Poltava Oblast.
He raised his daughter himself, his friends were quoted as saying.

Vasyl Pikhteev, 31, a soldier of the 28th mechanized brigade
from Odesa Oblast. He was mobilized into the Ukrainian army in July and was
killed in the battle for Maryinka in Donetsk Oblast. Pikhteev leaves behind a
wife and 6-year-old daughter in the city of Illichivsk in Odesa Oblast.

Oleksandr Halushchynskiy, 42, a soldier of the 28th mechanized
brigade from Mykolaiv Oblast. Halushchynskiy was an active EuroMaidan
Revolution supporter and member of a Maidan self-defense unit. He volunteered
for the army last summer and went to the front in August. He leaves behind a
wife, a 10-year-old daughter, and two sons in Berizky, Mykolaiv Oblast.

Vitaliy Ivandyuk, 34, a soldier from the 95th airborne brigade
from Kirovohrad Oblast. He was mobilized into the Ukrainian army almost a year
ago. He worked as an electro-gas welder until the war began in eastern Ukraine.
Ivandyuk was killed in Sloviansk in Donetsk Oblast. He leaves behind a wife and
two children in the town of Mala Vyska.

June 5

Mykhailo Meshcheryakov, 26, a soldier of the 30th mechanized
brigade from Kryviy Rih. He worked for a local coal mine and was mobilized into
the Ukrainian army in February. He was killed near the town of Makiivka in
Donetsk Oblast. He leaves behind his parents in Kryviy Rih.

Ihor Yeliseyev, 50, a solider of the 131th intelligence unit
from Kremenchuk. Yeliseyev, a native
Russian, moved to Ukraine, where he served in the Soviet army. Later
he started working for the Kremenchuk-based
Kryukiv Railcar company. He was
mobilized in January and was killed near the village of Volodarske in Donetsk
Oblast. He leaves behind his wife, a son and two grandsons in the city of
Kremenchuk.

June 8

Oleksandr Mostypan, 31,
a soldier of the 28th mechanized brigade from Kyiv. His vehicle hit a mine near
the town of Krasnohorivka in Donetsk Oblast. Mostypan’s death was instant. He
leaves behind his family in Kyiv.

Oleksiy Hereha, 21, a soldier of the 28th mechanized brigade
from Khmelnytskiy. He was in the same vehicle with his comrade, Oleksandr
Mostypan, which hit a mine near Krasnohorivka in Donetsk Oblast.

Andriy Brik, a soldier of the 130th
brigade from Mykolaiv Oblast. He volunteered for the army in February and was
killed in the village of Hrechyshkyne in Luhansk Oblast in a battle with
combined Russia-separatist forces. He leaves behind a wife and two sons in the
village of Derman Druha in Rivne Oblast.

June 10

Denys Denusyuk, 24, a soldier of the Azov Battalion of Ukraine’s National Guard from Kyiv. Denusyuk was
an active EuroMaidan Revolution supporter. He used to work as a film editor for
the Kyiv-based STB TV channel. Denusyuk often went to the front lines to help
Ukrainian soldiers, and then decided to join the battalion in November. He
leaves behind his parents in Kyiv.

Vadym Sak, 21, a soldier of the
28th mechanized brigade from Volyn Oblast.
Sak took military training in Yavoriv Oblast. He took part in battles in a number of towns,
including Yampil, Sloviansk, Siversk and Lysychansk. Sak leaves behind his
mother in the village of Khotyachiv.

Mykola Lukashuk, 27, a soldier of the 27th artillery brigade from Vinnytsia Oblast. He volunteered for the army in January and was
killed near the city of Sloviansk in Donetsk Oblast. Lukashuk leaves behind his
father in the village of Zaliznychne in Vinnytsia Oblast.

Andriy Yaroshenko, 32, a soldier of the 55th artillery brigade from Zaporizhya. He had been
working for the local railway station until he decided to volunteer for the
army in March. He was killed in the village of Luhanske in Donetsk Oblast. Yaroshenko leaves behind his 11-year-old son in
the town of Zdolbuniv.

Oleksandr Tsysar, 36, a senior lieutenant of the 93rd mechanized
brigade from Khmelnytsky Oblast. He graduated from Kyiv Polytechnical University
and worked as an entrepreneur before he joined the army in August. Tsysar was one of those defending the Donetsk
airport. His APC hit a mine near the village of Vodyane in Donetsk Oblast. He
leaves behind a wife and two children in the city of Khmelnytsky. His youngest
son is 5 months old.

June 12

Viktor Kesler, 42, a soldier of
the 30th mechanized brigade from Chernihiv
Oblast. Kesler, an Uzbek native, moved to Ukraine with his parents in 1985. He
was a construction worker in Kyiv. Kesler was mobilized into the army in
February. He was killed by mortar shelling near the village of Luhanske in
Donetsk Oblast. He leaves behind his wife in the town of Kurin in Chernihiv
Oblast.

June 14

Ivan Kuchmiy, 23, a soldier of the 28^th
mechanized brigade from Mykolaiv Oblast. He was mobilized into the army in
March, and was badly wounded by shrapnel near Maryinka in Donetsk Oblast. He
leaves behind his parents in Bohdanivka in Mykolaiv Oblast.

June 15

Viktor Stefanovych, 28, a soldier of the Pravyi Sector volunteer battalion
from Ternopil. He volunteered for the army in the autumn and joined the
battalion in December. His spent all of his time in the warzone and made it
home to visit his relatives only once. Stefanovych leaves his parents behind in
the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil.

Kyiv Post staff writer Olena Goncharova can be reached at [email protected].