Since the declaration of yet another cease-fire on April 1, one Ukrainian soldier has been killed and two wounded. The casualties occurred over the past 24 hours near Donetsk’s Oblast Avdiyivka, the Ukrainian military reported on April 13.
Russia-backed separatists attacked Ukrainian army positions in Maryinka, Vodyane, Popasna and Troitske 61 times, military officials said in their daily briefing.
Fighting and military operations have claimed the lives of 24 Ukrainian soldiers over the last three weeks, according to a Kyiv Post count. The deaths include those of five servicemen who were on board a MI-2 military helicopter that crashed near the Ukrainian-controlled city of Kramatorsk, located some 700 kilometers southeast of Kyiv.
Overall, since the Russian military intervention started in Ukraine, about 9,800 people have been killed, and up to 23,000 wounded. This number includes 2,652 Ukrainian soldiers and representatives of other law enforcement and security bodies who have been killed during the war, according to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
The following is the list of those known to have been killed in the period from March 20 -April 10:
March 20
Dmytro Polevy, 37, a soldier of the 36th Marine Brigade from a city of Dnipro. He signed an enlistment contract with the army in June. Polevy was killed when combined Russia-separatist forces attacked the Ukrainian army positions using Grad missile launchers near the village of Vodyane in Donetsk Oblast. He leaves a 9-year-old daughter.
March 23
Dmytro Shmatko, a soldier from Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. He was killed near Avdiyivka. Shmatko leaves his parents in a village of Tokivske.
March 24
Oleksandr Malenko, 33, a soldier of the 17th brigade from Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. He had worked for a local tram company until he decided to sign an enlistment contract with the army. Malenko was killed near the village of Novozvanivka, Luhansk Oblast. He leaves a mother.
Vololdymyr Pavliv, 42, a soldier of the 24th mechanized brigade from Lviv. Pavliv had lived abroad for some time until Russia’s instigated war started in eastern Ukraine. He returned to the country and joined the 34th birgade first. In December, he signed a contract with the 24th brigade. “He had a big heart and wanted to defend his country, that’s why he returned,” one of Pavliv’s friends said during the mourning. Pavliv was killed when a shrapnel hit his head near the village of Novooleksandrivka in Luhansk Oblast. He leaves his mother in Lviv.
Ivan Selin, 30, a soldier from Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. He signed an enlistment contract with the army in 2016. Selin was killed in Donetsk Oblast on March 24. He leaves a mother in a town of Pidhorne.
On March 26, the Ukrainian military reported that a MI-2 military helicopter crashed near the Ukrainian-controlled city of Kramatorsk, located some 700 kilometers southeast of Kyiv. Three crew members – Yevhen Voloshyn, Dmytro Movchan and Roman Kondul – and two passengers – Valeriy Melnyk and Viktor Kalytych.
March 26
Petro Kozaruk, 39, a soldier of the 72nd mechanized brigade from Ivano Frankivsk Oblast. Kozaruk was mobilized to the army in 2015 and made it home in a year. Later, he signed an enlistment contract with the army to keep fighting. He went back to Donbas in late 2016 together with his wife who’s still serving as a combat medic in the same brigade. Kozaruk’s fellow soldier Ihor Marchuk recalled that he was “a real commander” and was always ready for any work. “And he was an awesome cook,” Marchuk was quoted as saying. Kozaruk leaves his wife and two children from a first marriage.
Serhiy Mosiychuk, 20, a soldier of the 72nd mechanized brigade from Rivne Oblast. He was always interested in automobile maintenance. Mosiychuk signed an enlistment contract with the army in 2016. He was killed during a mortar shelling of the Ukrainian army positions near the city of Avdiyivka. Mosiychuk leaves his parents in a town of Korets, Rivne Oblast.
Oleksiy Tymchenko, 22, a soldier of the 72nd mechanized brigade from Cherkasy Oblast. He joined the army in 2016. He was killed during the mortar shelling near the city of Avdiyivka in Donetsk Oblast. Tymchenko leaves his parents.
March 27
Vladyslav Pysarenko, 21, a soldier of Donbas Battalion of the 54th mechanized brigade from Donetsk. When Russia-backed separatists occupied Donetsk, he decided to enlist in the Ukrainian army and joined Azov Battalion first. Fellow soldiers recall Pysarenko was always shy and quiet, but “always ready to fight for his land.” “He wanted to see a flag of Ukraine in his native Donetsk,” one of Pysarenko’s commanders from Avoz Battalion recalled. He had been Shakhtar Donetsk fan for 13 years. Pysarenko was killed near the village of Novoluhanske in Donetsk Oblast. Pysarenko leaves his parents in Russia’s occupied Donetsk.
Maksym Narizhny, 21, a soldier of Donbas Battalion of the 54th mechanized brigade from Sumy. He had studied at Sumy Pedagogical University until he signed an enlistment contract with Ukrainian army in 2015. Narizhny was killed a week before his mobilization near the village of Novoluhanske in Donetsk Oblast. “He knew a lot and always shared everything with rookies,” one of Narizhny’s fellow soldiers was quoted as saying during the mourning. Narizhny leaves parents and a fiancee in Sumy, some 330 kilometers northeast of Kyiv.
March 29
Volodymyr Yehorenko, 50, a soldier of the 44th brigade from Odesa. His vehicle was hit by a 120-mm mortar. Yehorenko was sent to the hospital where he died later. He leaves a wife and two children.
Anton Velmozhko, 28, a soldier of the 54th mechanized brigade from Zaporizhzhya. He signed an enlistment contract with the army in 2016. Velmozhko was killed near the city of Svitlodarsk, 57 kilometers northeast of Donetsk, Russian-separatist stronghold. He leaves a mother and a brother.
March 30
Dmytro Sumsky, 42, a soldier of the Pravy Sector volunteer battalion from Kyiv. He was a guitarist of Kyiv rock band Inferno. Sumsky had been serving in the east since 2014. He was killed during the shelling near Avdiyivka. “He was a real fighter who revived every time he heard a word ‘work.’ He was a true son of Ukraine,” Sumsky’s commander, Volodymyr Rehesha, wrote on his Facebook page. Sumsky leaves a wife.
Oleh Novohatko, 25, a soldier of the 72nd brigade from Cherkasy Oblast. He signed an enlistment contract with the army in 2016. Novohatko was killed during the shelling of Avdiyivka. He leaves his parents.
Oleksandr Pedak, 57, a soldier of the 72nd brigade from Zaporizhzya. He was mobilized to the army in 2015. Pedak was killed during the shelling of Avdiyivka. “He was like a father for all the soldiers (in our unit),” one of Pedak’s fellow soldiers said after the mourning. Pedak leaves two children.
March 31
Volodymyr Kapralov, a soldier of the 92nd mechanized brigade from Zaporizhzhya Oblast.
Kapralov was badly wounded with a shrapnel near a city of Maryinka in Donetsk Oblast on March 12. He died in Dnipro city hospital. Kapralov leaves a 9-year-old son.
April 1
Oleksandr Dovhy, 35, a soldier of the 30th mechanized brigade from Kyiv Oblast. Dovhy was mobilized to the army in 2014 and later signed an enlistment contract with the army to keep serving. Dovhy was killed near the village of Starohnativka in Donetsk Oblast. He leaves a wife and an 8-year-old daughter.
April 3
Artur Latchenko, 21, a soldier of the 72nd brigade from Poltava Oblast. He had worked at an agriculture company in his native village of Bilsk. He liked to play volleyball and ping pong. He was mobilized to the army in 2015 and in a year signed an elnistment contract to keep serving. In fall, Latchenko volunteered to fight on the frontline. He was near Butivka coal mine, the closest to Russia’s-separatist stronghold Donetsk. He was killed during the mortar shelling of Ukrainian army positions near Butivka. Latchenko leaves his parents and a fiancee.
Oleksandr Tretyak, 27, a soldier of the 81st airborne brigade from Dnipro (formerly Dnipropetrovsk) city. Treryak volunteered to the war zone since Russia started its military aggression against Ukraine in 2014. He was one of the defenders of Luhansk airport. He was demobilized, but made it back to the army shortly. Tretyak was killed as he hit a landmine near Donetsk.
Bohdan Ryzanych, 55, a head of the medical unit of 44th artillery brigade from Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. For the last 25 years, Ryzanych had been working at first aid station in Ivano Frankivsk until he volunteered to go to the war zone in early 2017. Ryzanych was serving in Lysychansk located some 115 km from the oblast capital, Luhansk. He was killed in Lysychansk. Ryzanych’s colleague, Ihor Neporadny, recalls: “He was kind and stubbornly crucial in everything he did. He’d been always helping younger colleagues. When the war started, he told me ‘I don’t want more young people to die, I better go (serving).’ And he went there.” Ryzanych leaves a wife and a son.
April 7
Yury Bezyazychny, 50, a soldier of the 59th brigade from Odesa Oblast. He was badly wounded in Donbas a couple of months ago and died of injuries without regaining consciousness in Zaporizhzhya Oblast hospital.
