Russia’s war kills 32 soldiers in 2020, total death toll stands at 3,079

The war in the Donbas has transitioned to a stalemate after it first erupted in early 2014,
however, sporadic ceasefire violations are still recorded by the monitors with some explosions, shelling and skirmishes in both Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

Often labeled as another frozen conflict at Europe’s backdoor, it still has claimed the lives of at least 32 Ukrainian soldiers since the start of 2020. The overall death toll for the Ukrainian military killed in action since hostilities began six years ago has reached 3,079 soldiers as of May 21, according to the Kyiv Post count based on military and media reports.

Ukraine is now the ninth largest country in the world in terms of the number of Internally
Displaced Persons, according to the United Nations’ Refugee Agency. Following the start of armed conflict in eastern Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea, some 1.5 million people became displaced.

Below is the list of those known to have been killed in action from February until May:

May

Oleksandr Karpyka, 24, a soldier of the 12th regiment of the operational support from
Vinnytsia Oblast. He joined the professional army in 2016. He was fatally wounded by a sniper near Katerynivka village in Luhansk Oblast on May 13. Karpyka died hours later in the hospital. Karpyka leaves his parents, two brothers and sister in a village of Budy in Vinnytsia Oblast.

April

Oleksiy Kuprikov, 49, a soldier of the 93rd Mechanized Brigade from Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. He decided to join the army in 2018 after he lost his friend in a war zone. Kuprikov was killed on April 9th during the shelling of Krymske village in Luhansk Oblast. He leaves a wife and a 19-year-old son.

Leonid Skakunenko, 32, a soldier of the 93rd Mechanized Brigade from Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. He was first mobilized to the National Guard of Ukraine in 2014. After demobilization, Skakunenko decided to resume his work in the army and signed a contract with the 93rd Brigade. He was killed on April 12th during the shelling of Krymske village in Luhansk Oblast. Skakunenko leaves a wife and a son.

Andriy Shynkaruk, 28, a soldier of the 28th Mechanized Brigade from Volyn Oblast. When
Russia’s war against Ukraine broke out in the Donbas in 2014, he was in the first wave of
mobilization. Shynkaruk was assigned to the 1st separate motorized infantry battalion Volyn and fought in the area of Debaltseve (strategic rail hub) in Donetsk Oblast. After demobilization in 2015, he decided to dedicate himself to a military career. Shynkaruk joined Hetman PetroSahaidachnyi National Ground Forces Academy in Lviv. He graduated in 2019 with a degree in “Management of actions of mechanized troops.” “He was a true patriot, a professional, a diligent cadet, a responsible and courageous officer,” Academy’s general Pavlo Tkachuk was quoted as saying. Shynkaruk was mortally wounded on April 20 near Maryinka in Donetsk Oblast. He leaves his mother and sisters.

Oleksiy Lisin, 30, a soldier of the 93rd Mechanized Brigade from Zaporizhzhya Oblast. Lisin joined the army in 2019 and served as a driver specialist. He was killed on April 28th when the Russian proxy forces opened fire at the Ukrainian army positions near the villages of Zholobok and Krymske in Luhansk Oblast. Lisin leaves a fiancee and a daughter.

March

Serhiy Ruskikh, 41, a soldier of the 46th Brigade from Mariupol. He signed the contract with the army in 2018. On March 1, he was delivering food to the position of the army  near the village of Nyzhnoteple in Luhansk Oblast when the Russian-backed separatists hit his military vehicle with anti-tank guided missile. Ruskikh died at the scene. He leaves a wife and a daughter.

Volodymyr Chernenko, 25, a soldier of the 58th Brigade from Chernihiv Oblast. He joined the army in 2015. On March 3, Chernenko was killed by a sniper. “Volodya was not just a subordinate to me, not just a sergeant, not just my assistant,” his commander, Dmytro Markovets, was quoted as saying. “He was a true friend, someone who has always strived for justice…He always took care of his fellow soldiers, even tried to step on the post himself so that someone could have more rest.” Chernenko leaves two brother and three sisters in his native village of Mamekyne.

Dmytro Osychkin, 26, a soldier of the 57th Brigade from Kherson Oblast. He was killed near the village of Pisky in Donetsk Oblast on March 5th as Osychkin hit an undetected explosive device near his unit’s location. He leaves his parents and a sister.

Dmytro Firsov, 40, a platoon commander of the mechanized battalion of the 93rd Brigade.
Firsov was born in Georgia in a military family. His parents soon moved with him to Donetsk where he spent his whole life. Firsov joined the army as soon as the military aggression started in the Donbas. While defending Donetsk Airport back in 2014, he often joked with his fellow soldiers that he used to live next to the airport and now lives next to home. Firsov died on March 6 near Krymske village in Luhansk Oblast as a result of a mine blast. “I don’t even know if such a person can be replaced at all. He was a motivated officer, a patriot who had fought since the first years of the war,” Firsov’s Commander Colonel Dmytro Bryzhynsky was quoted as saying. Firsov leaves a wife and a son.

Yevhen Chernykh, 29, a soldier of the 57th Brigade from Kherson Oblast. He first enrolled in the army in 2014 and served with the 28th Brigade that took part in battles for Maryinka in Donetsk Oblast in summer that year. He signed another contract with the army in January. On March 8th, Russia’s proxy forces opened fire at the Ukrainian army positions using anti-tank guided missiles near the village of Opytne in Donetsk Oblast. Chernykh leaves his parents.

Bohdan Petrenko, 23, a soldier of the 72nd Brigade from Kyiv Oblast. He was badly wounded by shrapnel on March 4th near the village of Orikhove in Luhansk Oblast. Petrenko was transported to the hospital where he died six days later without regaining conscience. He leaves a three-year-old son.

Viktor Soltys, 33, a soldier of the 131st Separate Reconnaissance Battalion from Kirovohrad Oblast. He signed a contract with the army in 2017. Soltys was killed on March 10th when a military vehicle where he was driving with fellow soldiers near Pisky village was hit by a Russian anti-tank guided missile. His death was instant. Soltys leaves a wife and two children – eight- and one-year-old.

Andriy Vedeshyn, 34, a soldier of the 131st Separate Reconnaissance Battalion from Vinnytsia Oblast. Vedeshyn graduated from a Law Academy in Kharkiv and returned to his native village to work in police service. He signed a contract with the army in May 2017. He was killed on March 10th when his military vehicle was hit by a Russian anti-tank guided missile. Vedeshyn leaves a wife and an 8-year-old daughter.

Ilya Perezhohin, 26, a soldier of the 131st Separate Reconnaissance Battalion. Perezhohin, originally from Moldova, spent most of his life in Odesa Oblast. He joined the army in 2017. On March 10th, he was killed by a sniper near Pisky village in Donetsk Oblast where the battalion is stationed. Perezhohin leaves his grandmother and two sisters.

Oleksiy Zolin, 35, a soldier of the 30th Mechanized Brigade from Zhytomyr Oblast. He was mobilized to the army in 2015 and later signed a contract with the 30th Brigade. Zolin was killed by a sniper near Novooleksandrivka village in Luhansk Oblast on March 19th. He leaves a three-year-old daughter.

Volodymyr Movchanyuk, 36, a soldier of the 57th Brigade from Vinnytsia Oblast. He joined the army in 2015. “He was brave and enjoyed authority, respect in his unit,” senior lieutenant Roman Shelesko was quoted as saying. Movchanyuk was killed on March 30 near Pervomaiske village in Donetsk Oblast.

Oleksandr Malanchuk, 23, lieutenant, a commander of the 8th platoon of the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade from Chernivtsi. Malanchuk started serving in the army as soon as he graduated from Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Ground Forces Academy in Lviv in 2019. He was killed on March 31 near Lebedynske village in Donetsk Oblast.

February

Klavdiya Sytnyk, 33, a senior combat medic of the 93rd Brigade from Kharkiv Oblast. She
always wanted to become a doctor and eventually graduated as a nurse, worked for a local hospital. “She was very active, ready to take any assignment, and wasn’t afraid of anything,” Sytnyk’s neighbor Inna Bekh was quoted as saying. Sytnyk signed a three-year contract with the army in 2017. She was killed on Feb. 1 during the shelling near Novotoshkivske village in Luhansk Oblast, mere days before the end of her contract. Sytnyk leaves her parents and a 12-year-old daughter.

Maksym Hitaylov, 22, a soldier of the 72nd Mechanized Brigade from Zaporizhzhya Oblast. Hitaylov spent all his life in Poltava Oblast. When the war broke out in the Donbas, he was still a high school student. “He was such a bright student, very talented and active. Never shied away from any tasks,” his teacher Tetyana Kozachko was quoted as saying. After graduating from local Poltava University he enrolled in the army in spring 2019. Hitaylov was killed on Feb. 18 near the strategic lookout point close to Zolote village in Luhansk Oblast. Russia-backed separatists started shelling the Ukrainian army positions and he was hit in his head. Hitaylov leaves his mother and brother.

Dmytro Hryn, 27, a soldier of the 58th Brigade from Sumy Oblast. Before the war started in the Donbas, Hryn had been working in construction. He was first mobilized to the army in September 2014. Five years later he decided to join the professional army and signed a contract with the brigade. Hryn was killed on Feb. 28 as he stepped on an unidentified explosive device during combat near Mayorsk town in Donetsk Oblast. He died later in a hospital. Hryn leaves his parents, sister and brother.

Volodymyr Fedchenko, 46, chief platoon sergeant of the 93rd Brigade from Luhansk Oblast. He joined the brigade in December 2016, took part in battles for Starohnativka and Avdyivka. His comrades described him as a very supportive person. Fedchenko was killed on Feb. 27 near Novotoshkivske village in his native Luhansk Oblast when he tried to rescue a wounded fellow soldier. He leaves a wife and four children.