Fighting in the Donbas had slowed down by July 6, with some 13 attacks reported on Ukrainian army positions in the past 24 hours.
Near the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk, at Avdiyivka and Pisky, Russian-backed forces exchanged fire for several hours overnight on July 6. Stanytsia Luhanska and the village of Krymske in Luhansk Oblast also remained hot spots.
But despite government attempts to halt the fighting, daily clashes claimed the lives of at least 28 soldiers in June alone, according to a Kyiv Post count based on information from the military, volunteers and local media reports.
The Ukrainian military reported that 182 soldiers were wounded in hostilities over the last month, bringing the overall number of wounded to at least 9,941 since the start of Russian military aggression in the Donbas in 2014. At least 10,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Russia’s war since 2014.
Those pictured below are Ukrainian soldiers known to have been killed from May 30 to July 3.
May 30
Serhiy Mykhailyk, 28, a soldier of the 72nd mechanized brigade from Cherkasy Oblast. He was mobilized to the army in 2015 and served for a year. In the beginning of 2017, Mykhailyk decided to make it back to the frontlines. He was severely wounded in his head during the shelling of the Ukrainian army positions near Avdiyivka in Donetsk Oblast. Mykhailyk leaves his parents.
June 2
Vasyl Burachuk, 22, a soldier of the 30th brigade from Chernivtsi Oblast. He was mobilized to the army in 2015. He was killed when a sniper shot him in the head during mortar shelling near Volnovakha in Donetsk Oblast. Burachuk leaves a wife and a daughter.
June 3
Mykhailo Kobets, 21, a soldier of the 36th Marine Brigade from Chernihiv Oblast. He joined the army in 2015. Kobets was badly wounded during the mortar shelling near Chermalyk village in Donetsk Oblast. He died on the way to hospital. Kobets leaves his mother and four younger brothers.
June 7
Anatoliy Potyekhin, 48, a soldier of the 72nd brigade from Vinnytsia Oblast. Potyekhin was a professional serviceman. When the war started in eastern Ukraine he helped the army as a volunteer. In 2017, he joined the armed forces again. Potyekhin was killed during the fighting near the city of Avdiyivka. He leaves a wife, a daughter and an 11-year-old son.
Volodymyr Laikov, 31, a soldier of the 93rd brigade from Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. He was killed when combined Russia-terrorist forces launched offensive near the village of Zholobok in Luhansk Oblast in attempt to capture new territories. Laikov leaves his parents and a sister.
June 8
Mykhailo Berezka, 20, a soldrier of the 24th brigade from Lviv Oblast. He joined the army when he was 19. Berezka was killed during mortar shelling near the village of Katerynivka in Luhansk Oblast. He leaves a mother and a sister.
Vadym Polozov, 21, a soldier of the 169th unit from Sumy Oblast. He was mobilized to the army in 2015. He wanted to pursue career in military. Polozov was badly wounded near the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast. He leaves his parents and a sister.
June 12
Oleh Maistryshyn, 44, a soldier of the 30th brigade from Khmelnytska Oblast. Maistryshyn was badly wounded in artillery shelling in Volnovakha district in Donetsk Oblast. He lost both of his legs and died later. According to lieutenant-colonel Serhiy Zhmurko, it was the last day before the rotation for Maistryshyn. He planned to go on vacation afterwards. Maistryshyn leaves a son.
Mykola Haiduk, a soldier of the 43rd battalion from Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. “He was always smiling,” Dariya Andrusenko-Yakutok, volunteer who helps Ukrainian military, recalled. “We had been in touch during 2014-2015, then he returned back home. But he couldn’t stay behind the problems of the soldiers so he started volunteering until made it back to the war front.” Andrusenko-Yakutok said Haiduk was helping his fellow soldiers to get to the shelter when the shelling near Luhanske village in Donetsk Oblast started. He was killed during while rescuing a 19-year-old Ukrainian fighter. Haiduk leaves a wife and two sons.
June 15
Yevhen Sarnavsky, 27, a soldier of the 72nd brigade from Khmelnytsky Oblast. He volunteered to the army in 2014. Sarnavsky was involved in mine clearance near Volnovakha, Hranitne and Avdiyivka in Donetsk Oblast. On June 8, he was badly injured during mine clearance near Kamyanka village in Donetsk Oblast. He died later in a hospital. Sarnavsky leaves a pregnant wife.
Serhiy Yaremchuk, 40, a soldier from Vinnytsia Oblast. He volunteered to the army in 2014 and later signed a contract. Yaremchuk was killed during the fighting near Talakivka and Hnutove villages in Donetsk Oblast. He leaves a wife and a daughter.
Mykhailo Mochernyuk, 42, a soldier of the 93rd brigade from Kharkiv Oblast. He was killed when combined Russia-separatists forces attacked the Ukrainian army positions near Novotoshkivske village in Luhansk Oblast. Mochernyuk leaves a family.
June 21
Volodymyr Ivanyk, 30, a soldier of the Aratta Battalion (a part of Ukrainian Volunteer Army lead by former Right Sector leader Dmytro Yarosh) from Lviv Oblast. He used to work in construction business before the war started. Together with his friend Andriy Lutsiv they volunteered to the army. Ivanyk took part in the battles for Donetsk airport and Shyrokyne coastal town in eastern Ukraine. He was killed near the city of Avdiyivka in Donetsk Oblast. Ivanyk leaves a wife and a son.
Andriy Lutsiv, 38, a soldier of the Aratta Battalion (a part of Ukrainian Volunteer Army lead by former Right Sector leader Dmytro Yarosh) from Lviv Oblast. He was an active EuroMaidan Revolution supporter and after the revolution together with his friend Volodymyr Ivanyk they volunteered to the army. Lutsiv took part in the battles for Donetsk airport and Pisky village. He was killed near the city of Avdiyivka in Donetsk Oblast. He leaves a wife and a daughter.
June 22
Mykola Starykovsky, a soldier of the 43rd brigade from Kharkiv Oblast. He was severy wounded during the fighting near Luhanske village not far from Svitlodarsk Bulge area in Donetsk Obalst. Starykovsky died later in the hospital. “He was responsible, he was always ready to fight. He was a real soldier,” Dariya Andrusenko-Yakotyuk who helps Ukrainian military posted on June 22.
June 24
Oleksiy Ishchuk, 27, a soldier of the 8th special task unit from Khmelnytska Oblast. His fellow soldiers recalled he was a friendly young man and always ready to help. Knowing that his younger brother will have a prom soon, Ishchuk gave his his white suit he wore once. “I only wear uniform now, where would I wear a suit (here),” one of his fellow soldiers, who goes under now-de-guerre Marik, recalled. “It’s a big loss not only for us but for Ukraine,” he said. Ishchuk stepped on a landmine in Luhansk Oblast. His death was instant. He leaves his parents and a younger brother.
Vasyl Lavrys, 29, a soldier of the 8th special task unit of the Ukrainian army. Lavrys, native of Stryy, a town in Lviv Oblast, joined the army in 2014. He was one of the defenders of Donetsk and Luhansk airports. Lavrys was killed as he stepped on a landmine in Luhansk Oblast. He leaves his family in Stryy.
June 27
Oleksandr Popov, 39, a soldier of the 28th brigade from Mykolaiv Oblast. Popov had been serving in the army for 15 years. He also spent two years serving in Iraq as a part of Ukraine’s mission in Operation Iraqi Freedom. When the war started in Ukraine, Popov didn’t hesitate to continue his service. In 2014, he took part in battles for Savur-Mohyla, a strategic height on the border of Luhansk, Donetsk oblasts and Rostov region of Russia. Popov was wounded in hostilites and had to leave the war zone for treatment but kept helping the Ukrainian army through a number of volunteer organizations. He also worked with the Odesa-based Dumskaya newspaper. Oleg Konstantinov, a chief editor of Dumskaya, wrote that “Popov was a big friend of their newsroom” and often helped with confirming number from the war front. He also wrote a few war related stories for the paper.
Popov was reportedly killed when combined Russia-separatists forces attacked the Ukrainian army positions near the city of Volnovakha using grenade launchers. He leaves a wife and three children.
June 29
Maksym Kernychny, 39, a soldier of the 72nd brigade from Vinnytsia Oblast. He always dreant about a career in military. Kernychny had been serving since 1996. He was killed in Pisky village close to the Donetsk airport when the missile pierced the dugout and hit him. Kernychny leaves a wife and a son.
July 3
Volodymyr Brychak, 40, a soldier of the 128th brigade from Zakarpattya Oblast. He was badly wounded near the city of Toretsk in Donetsk Oblast. “He liked to read and people always brought him books. He was an interesting person to talk to. He was reliable. That night a bullet hit his heart. We will never forget,” his fellows wrote on the Facebook page of their brigade.
