Anatolii A. Drebit

A 48-year-old senior sergeant, Anatoliy Drebit, was killed in action on March 2, 2022, in battles with Russian occupiers for the Kherson region. Anatoliy was from the village of Vykno in Chernivtsi region. In 2015, he was mobilized and served in the 79th separate airborne assault brigade. He participated in the ATO in Donbas. After demobilization in 2016, he returned home but could not stay in civilian life while the war continued in the country. So, within two weeks, he signed a contract with the 80th separate airborne assault brigade. At that time, during training, he first jumped with a parachute. And soon after, he went back to war. "I came home, but my thoughts remained at the front. I worked on my household, but I thought about my comrades, the platoon commander, the company commander. And at night, I dreamed that we were arranging positions, deepening trenches, strengthening bunkers... I barely found a free moment and turned on the TV — I was glued to the screen and caught every piece of news from the front. I was most worried about our 'cyborgs' who were defending Donetsk airport. I couldn't stand it — two weeks after my demobilization, I signed a contract," Anatoliy described his two weeks at home in an interview in 2019. When the full-scale war began, Anatoliy was the commander of an airborne assault squad. From the first days, he defended Ukraine from the occupiers. Unfortunately, he did not live to see the victory. "The bright memory of Tolya as a sincere friend, faithful comrade, and true son of the Ukrainian people, who became one of those heroes who stopped the Russian onslaught in the first days, will forever remain in our hearts," wrote his fellow villager, Tetiana Hnep-Ambrosiychuk. At home, the military man was awaited by his wife, daughter, and son. Posthumously, senior sergeant Anatoliy Drebit was awarded the Order of Courage of the 3rd degree. In May, Anatoliy also posthumously became a laureate of the international literary award named after Ivan Bazhansky, which is awarded to the best educators in the district.