Anatolii A. Kharlan (Sokil)

49-year-old artillery officer Anatoliy Kharlan (call sign Sokil) was killed on December 20, 2022 in battle with the occupiers near the village of Solovyove in the Donetsk region. Anatoliy was a resident of the village of Balabyne in the Zaporizhia region. He studied at the Balabyne Gymnasium "Prestige". He then graduated from the Faculty of Physical Education and Rehabilitation of Zaporizhia State University. He served in the special unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs "Sokil". He dedicated his whole life to sports. He was passionate about cars. From the first days of the full-scale Russian invasion, the man joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He was the commander of a gun in the 55th separate artillery brigade "Zaporizhia Sich". "Heavenly Kingdom, my dear! I still can't believe you're not with us! How will we now be with Mashunya without you? You will be in my heart forever!" - wrote the deceased's beloved Marina. "Friend, brother, godfather, tears in my eyes! I bow. That's how I'll remember you forever, with a smile. Eternal memory," wrote godfather Yuriy Kostenko. "Tolya was a person who never wore a mask in his life. He was always himself, and this is the most valuable trait in our "theatrical" life. He knew how to be a comrade without any benefit, sincerely and openly. He, like many of the heroes we have lost, had plans. And, unfortunately, heroes die, only the memory does not die," said his ex-wife Olga. "He performed the greatest feat of a real man - he gave his life for the integrity and independence of Ukraine. His name will be forever inscribed in the history of our community and Ukraine as a warrior-hero!" - wrote the head of the Kushuhum village council Volodymyr Sosunovskyi. The defender was buried in his native village. Anatoliy left behind a daughter and a son.