At least 2,353 soldiers killed in Russia’s war against Ukraine

The cease-fire’s success was noted by Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko who, during the visit to Ukraine by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Sept. 21, noted there had not been shelling attacks in Donbas in recent days.

Ukrainian military officials said on Sept. 19 that some 1,915 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since mid-April 2014, while 67 fighters are being held captive. The Kyiv Post estimates that the number is higher — 2,353 killed servicemen, based on official reports, local media sources and information from relatives. More than 8,000 people altogether have been killed and almost 1.5 million displaced in Russia’s war, according to the United Nations.

The following is the list of those known to have been killed during the period of Aug. 6- Sept. 20:

Aug. 6

Danylo Kasiyanenko, 19, a soldier of the 93^rd motorized brigade from Zaporizhia Oblast. Kasiyanenko was an active EuroMaidan Revolution supporter and then joined the Carpathian Sich unit of the 93^rd brigade. He was killed during the mortar fire near the ruined building of Donetsk airport. Kasiyanenko leaves his parents in Zaporizhya Oblast.

Oleh Kostyuk, 33, a soldier of the 93^rd mechanized brigade from Sumy Oblast. “He was an ardent EuroMaidan Revolution supporter,” one of Kostyuk’s fellow soldiers, who goes by the nom-de-guerre Celt, recalled. “He quit his job and stayed till the very end. In summer, he called me and asked how he could join our Carpathian Sich unit (of the 93^rd brigade). Days later he was there.” Kostyuk was killed during his first assignment near the ruins of Donetsk airport. He leaves a wife in a city of Sumy.

Anastasia Gorbachova, 32, a soldier and a combat medic with Ukraine’s nationalist Pravy Sector Battalion from Chernivtsi. Gorbachova was fond of biathlon, “that’s why she could shoot well,” Olena Bilozerska from Pravy Sector was quoted as saying. Gorbachova met her future husband on the war front. “She was happy that she had found him and they were expecting their first child,” according to Bilozerska. Gorbachova was killed near Mariupol.

Aug. 7

Giorgi Barateli, 24, a soldier of the Georgian National Legion who joined the 93^rd mechanized brigade. He was killed during the mortar shelling near Donetsk. Barateli’s commander, Oleksiy Otserklevych recalls: “Giorgi was one of our best fighters, he took part in battles for Donetsk and Pisky in 2014 and he was a respectful man.” Odesa Oblast Governor Mikheil Saakashvili wrote on his official Facebook page that “Georgia would be proud (of Barateli) and all who’s fighting in our war.”

Aug. 8

Roman Halas, 39, a senior lieutenant, a commander of 16^th battalion of the 92^nd mechanized brigade from Lviv Oblast. Halas was mobilized to the army in February. He was killed in Donetsk Oblast’s Artemivsk. Halas leaves a wife and 14-year-old daughter in a village of Mlyniv in Rivne Oblast.

Aug. 9

Yevhen Ivanchenko, 37, a soldier of the 36^th Coast Guard Brigade from Cherkasy Oblast. He was mobilized to the army in April and was shot in his head near Shyrokine in Donetsk Oblast. Ivanchenko leaves a wife, a son and a daughter in a town of Vatutine in Cherkasy Oblast.

Aug. 10

Vitaly Tilizhenko, 36, a soldier of the Pravy Sector Battalion from Zaporizhya. He graduated from Zaporizhya Institute of Economy and Information Technology. Tilizhenko worked as a business consultant in a number of companies, including BPO Group and Professional Trainings. He took part in more than 50 consulting and training projects in various companies. When the EuroMaidan Revolution started in Kyiv in 2013, Tilizhenko became its active supporter. He was killed near the village of Starognativka in Donetsk Oblast. Tilizhenko leaves a sister in Zaporizhya.

Vasyl Lavkai, 36, a soldier of Ukraine’s nationalist Pravy Sector Battalion from Zakarpattia Oblast. Lavkai was killed near the village of Starognativka in Donetsk Oblast when combined Russian-separatist forces launched an offensive on Ukraine’s positions. He leaves a wife and 9-month-old daughter.

Aug. 11

Yevhen Rovny, 42, a military driver with the 72^nd mechanized brigade from Mykolaiv Oblast. Rovny was mobilized to the army in August 2014. He was killed near the village of Bila Kamyanka in Donetsk Oblast. Rovny leaves his wife and a son in a village of Mykhailo-Laryne in Mykolaiv Oblast.

Aug. 14

Vitaly Shyrokov, 33, a soldier of the 30^th mechanized brigade from Kirovohrad Oblast. Shyrokov was mobilized to the army in winter. He took part in battles for Debaltseve and was killed during the mortar shelling near the village of Troitske in Luhansk Oblast. He leaves his brothers in a city of Oleksandriya in Kirovohrad Oblast.

Petro Drachuk, 48, a soldier of the 93^rd mechanized brigade from Rivne Oblast. He was mobilized to the army in February. He was killed as Russian-separatists forces opened fire using Grad missile launcher in the village of Opytne in Donetsk Oblast. He leaves his wife and two children in his hometown of Ploske in Rivne Oblast.

Aug. 16

Kateryna Noskova, 26, an operator with the 17^th motorized brigade from Kirovohrad Oblast. She has joined Ukraine’s army as a professional soldier. Noskova volunteered to the frontline in February. Noskova was killed during the mortar shelling in the city of Gorlivka. “I always liked to look at her, she felt so natural among the soldiers. She was a real fighter herself,” Olga Reshetylova, a volunteer who knows Noskova, wrote. “When I’m asked what women are doing in the warzone, it’s difficult to explain. But I guess I know Katya’s motivation – she wanted to defend her son.” Noskova leaves a 4-year-old son and her parents in Znamyanka in Kirovohrad Oblast.

Aug. 17

Andriy Ladik, 39, a soldier of the 28^th mechanized brigade from Kharkiv Oblast. Ladik was mobilized to the army in June. His was killed as a sniper shot him at the checkpoint near Maryinka in Donetsk Oblast. He leaves a wife and a daughter in a village of Lozova in Kharkiv Oblast.

Aug. 18

Yaroslav Chaly, 49, a soldier of the 57^th motorized brigade from Cherkasy. When Russia’s war against Ukraine has started, Chaly gave up his business and volunteered to the war front. He first joined 17^th battalion where they used to serve together with his son. He was badly wounded during the mortar shelling in Donetsk Oblast’s Horlivka. Chaly died later in one of Kharkiv city hospitals. “He was my tutor, he taught me a lot,” Yehor Antonik, Chaly’s fellow soldier, recalled during the mourning. He leaves his family in a city of Cherkasy.

Oleksiy Yarmolyuk, 27, a soldier of the 14^th mechanized brigade from Volyn Oblast. He used to work as a police officer in his hometown of Borovychi. He was mobilized to the army in February. Yarmolyuk was badly wounded as he stepped on a landmine near the village of Talakivka in Donetsk Oblast. He leaves a wife, two brothers and a sister.

Aug. 19

Vasyl Galyas, 47, a soldier of the 54^th mechanized brigade from Vinnytsia Oblast. Galyas was an Afghanistan war veteran. He used to work as a driver for the local agriculture company. Galyas was volunteered to the army in January. He was killed as his vehicle hit a landmine near Popasna in Luhansk Oblast. He leaves a family in a village of Sainka in Vinnytsia Obalst.

Andriy Balyshov, 23, a soldier of the 92^nd mechanized brigade from Sumy. Balyshov was mobilized to the army in late January. He hit a tripwire in Luhansk Oblast. Balyshov leaves his parents, a sister and a fiancé in a Taboriv village in Kyiv Oblast.

Aug. 22

Viktor Tkachuk, 39, a soldier of the 128^th mechanized brigade from Volyn Oblast. Tkachuk was mobilized to the army in summer 2014. He took part in battles for the city of Debaltsevo and was killed as their vehicle hit a landmine near the checkpoint Zhyga in Shchastya in Luhansk Obalst. He leaves his mother, a brother and a sister in a village of Tsuman in Volyn Oblast.

Serhiy Pasichnyuk, 45, a soldier of the 53^rd mechanized brigade from a village of Buzivka in Cherkasy Oblast. He used to work as a physical culture teacher in a local school. He volunteered to the army in December and was killed as he stepped a landmine near the city of Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast.

Aug. 25

Andriy Barasyuk, 29, a soldier of the 1st motorized infantry from Ivano-Frankivsk. Barasyuk enlisted in the military in 2007 and served 5 years in Crimea. In March 2015, he was mobilized to the army. He was killed during the mortar shelling near the village of Sopyne near the city of Mariupol. Barasyuk leaves his parents in western Ukrainian Ivano-Frankivsk.

Fedir Uhrin, 39, a soldier of the 1st motorized infantry from Kherson. Uhrin was a lecturer at Kherson Agricultural University, but never hesitated to join the army, his colleagues say. Petro Matsko, Uhrin’s university colleague, recalled that he was an “active and open-hearted” young man. Uhrin was killed as a shell hit the ground a couple of meters ahead of him in the village of Kominternove in Donetsk Oblast. He leaves a wife, a 9-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son in Kherson.

Aug. 26

Andriy Hesyng, 33, a soldier of the 93^rd mechanized brigade from Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Hesyng volunteered to the army in February 2014. He was killed near Zhelanne village in Donetsk Oblast. He leaves a 9-year-old daughter in Kryvy Rih.

Viacheslav Baranovsky, 48, a commander of the air defense unit of the 41th motorized battalion from Chernihiv. He was mobilized to the army in September 2014. He was killed during a mortar shelling near the village of Starohnativka in Donetsk Oblast. Baranovsky’s fellow-soldiers recalled that he was a professional serviceman and had an “outstanding” personality. Baranovsky leaves a wife and a daughter in a city of Chernihiv.

Vitaly Lopushoi, 28, a soldier of the 28^th mechanized brigade from Odesa Oblast. He was killed near the village of Maryinka. He leaves three sisters in Vekyka Mykhailivka village in Odesa Oblast.

Oleh Seredyuk, 28, a soldier of the 40^th artillery brigade from Khmelnytsky Oblast. Seredyuk was mobilized to the army in April. He was killed as Russian military and its separatist allies opened fire using Grad missile launcher in Donetsk Obalst’s Prokhorivka village. Andriy Marynyak, a friend of Seredyuk, said it’s a “great loss” for relatives and friends. “We were best friends, he was always ready to help,” Marynyak was quoted as saying after the mourning. Seredyuk leaves a 7-year-old daughter in a village of Moskalivka in Khmelnytsky Oblast.

Oleh Matlak, 28, a soldier of the 2^nd motorized unit of the 40^th brigade from Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. He used to work as an electric and gas welder and then was mobilized to the army in April. He was killed as Russian military and its separatist allies opened fire using Grad missile launcher in Donetsk Obalst’s Prokhorivka village. Matlak leaves a wife and 7-year-old daughter in a city of Zhovti Vody.

Oleksandr Cherkashyn, 32, Belarus native from Brest. Cherkashyn was a soldier of the Belarus Tactical Group of Pravy Sector Battalion. He participated in the number of the protests in Belarus, then moved to Kherson and enrolled into local Christian University. He volunteered to join Pravy Sector in winter 2015. Cherkashyn took part in battles for Donetsk airport, Pisky and was one of the defenders of the port city of Mariupol. His parents didn’t know their son had been fighting in Ukraine. “He was a real guardian, I always felt safe with him. He loved everyone; he loved Belarus, and Ukraine,” Cherkashyn’s girlfriend told in the interview for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. He was badly wounded near the village of Bila Kamianka in Donestk Oblast and died later in a hospital.

Aug. 29

Yuriy Pukish, 28, a soldier of the 128^th mechanized brigade from Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. He graduated from Lviv National Polytechnic University and later was mobilized to the army in 2014. Pukish hit the tripwire near Schastya in Luhansk Oblast. “He was taking part in the EuroMaidan Revolution,” Ivan Kudybin, a commander of the second unit of the 28^th brigade, was quoted as saying during the funeral. “He did a lot for EuroMaidan victory (…) I can’t imagine how he could hit a tripwire.” He planned to come back to his hometown on Sept. 17.

Aug. 31

Roman Vidnichuk, 26, a senior lieutenant, a member of the 57^th motorized brigade from Rivne Obalst. Vidnichuk was a professional serviceman. It took him three times before he finally made it to the army in August 2014. Vidnichuk was badly wounded in winter 2015. He went home for a treatment and later joined his brigade again. He was reportedly killed near the checkpoints of Russia-backed separatists near the city of Horlivka at night Aug. 30. Vidnichuk’s fellow soldiers found his dead body early in the morning August 31.

Sept. 2

Andriy Galushchenko, 40, former intelligence officer of the 1^st Battalion of Ukraine’s National Guard. Galushchenko was also a part of a special volunteer force, aiming at countering illegal traffic through the contact line. He was an active EuroMaidan Revolution supporter and later made it to the war front, take part in battles for Sloviansk in Donetsk Oblast. Galushchenko was killed in an ambush near the village of Lobacheve in Luhansk Oblast. The investigation of the accident is underway. “He was a specialist at making impossible things possible,” Galushchenko’s cousin, Ihor Pyvovar, was quoted as saying. “He was strong mentally and physically – and always sought to find the truth.” He leaves his mother in Kyiv Oblast.

Taras Dzul, 49, a soldier of the 24^th mechanized brigade from Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. He was mobilized to the army in March and was killed when his car was hit by in Krymske village in Luhansk Oblast. Dzul leaves a wife, two daughters and a son in a village of Yakubiv in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast.

Vasyl Boruta, 44, a soldier of the 1^st automobile unit of the 703^rd engineer regiment. Boruta had been serving in the army since 1997. He leaves a wife and two children in Lviv Oblast.

Sept. 3

Volodymyr Kyan, 33, a soldier of the 80^th airborne brigade from Lviv. Kyan had agriculture-related business, but later joined Odesa Shtorm (Storm) Battalion. He made it to the war front in August 2014, took part in battles for Luhansk and Shchastia. He hit the tripwire near Luhansk thermal power station. Kyan shouted a warning to his fellow-soldiers and shielded one of his commanders from a blast. Kyan’s death was instant. “He never tried to hide or evade difficulties, he was a real serviceman,” one of Kyan’s fellow-soldiers was quoted as saying. He leaves a wife and 5-month-old son in Lviv.

Sept. 7

Viktor Vyshkvarko, 46, a soldier of the 128^th motorized brigade from Kyiv. Vyshkvarko volunteered to go to the war front and was killed when Russia-separatists forces started an offensive near the village of Syze in Luhansk Obalst. He leaves his brother who continues his serve in the 95^th brigade.

Sept. 10

Oleh Kuksa, 45, a soldier of the 54^th mechanized brigade from Chernihiv Oblast. Kuksa was mobilized to the army in March. He was badly wounded at the checkpoint near the village of Troitske in Luhansk Oblast. Kuksa was brought to the Artemivsk city hospital and died later because of his wounds. He leaves his wife and 1.5-year-old son in Kremenchuk.

Sept. 17

Oleksandr Vapnyar, 37, a combat engineer of the 72^nd mechanized brigade. Vapnyar worked as an engineer for state-road building corporation Kyivavtodor before he was mobilized to the army in January. He was killed as he stepped on a land mine near the village of Starohnativka in Donetsk Oblast. Vapnyar leaves a wife, a son and a daughter in Vinnytsia Oblast in central Ukraine.

Sept. 20

Volodymyr Rozhelyuk, 45, a soldier of the 14^th mechanized brigade from Ternopil Oblast. He volunteered to the army in June and was badly wounded after Russian troops and its separatist allies opened fire on the village of Luhanske in Donetsk Oblast. Rozhelyuk died later in Kharkiv military hospital.

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