Andrii A. Chernykh (Cheria)

Defender of Mariupol Andriy Chorniy (call sign Chera) was killed in action on April 15, 2022, in a battle for Azovstal. During the breakthrough to the plant, an enemy shell hit the BTR in which the fighter was located. The injuries turned out to be fatal. The next month, on May 18, the defender would have turned 27 years old. Andriy Chorniy was from the village of Mykolayivka, Odesa region. He received his secondary education at a local school. He was then fascinated by military service and actively prepared for it, constantly engaging in sports. He read a lot, had a talent for creativity. After school, he went to the army, to which he devoted his life. Since 2014, he has been participating in the Russian-Ukrainian war. He served in the Azov battalion, lived in Mariupol. He loved both the city and his unit. It seemed like dreams were coming true, life was gaining momentum, but a full-scale war began. Andriy, along with his comrades, bravely stood up to defend the city and defended it to the last in fierce battles. Andriy was a real man, a patriot of his country, a faithful oath. A real "Azov", warrior, friend and faithful brother, said his older brother Serhiy Perley. With Andriy, after school, we haven't seen each other for about 9 years, maybe sometimes we corresponded, sometimes exchanged greetings through our mother. Adult life scattered everyone in different cities. Andriy was actively preparing for military service at school, spent all his free time at the stadium, pumped iron, and the girls from the younger classes didn't give him a pass (they loved him terribly). He had a wonderful memory, read a lot, won various contests, recited poems, managed to play in the KVN, and became a host at all holidays. An extremely talented guy who was interested in everything, but didn't like to clean the floor in the classroom (he would definitely smile now, reading this). I remember how in the 10th grade he dressed up as Edward from Twilight, the whole hall was amazed at his acting skills. When we finally met, I saw a grown-up, handsome, courageous, brave man, a warrior in front of me! Andriy tried to drag me to the bar, but we agreed to meet at the stadium. Warm hugs... He was working out on the bars, I told him something, and he told me. About Mariupol, about service, about getting married, about the books he read, about self-study of English. Andriy liked living in Mariupol, he planned to live there further. We spent a great time, walked, discussed various trivia and important plans... Andriy wanted to go to Georgia soon, relax a bit... The hero was buried in his native village. Andriy's mother, brother, sister, grandmother, other relatives, friends and comrades-in-arms remained. Senior Sergeant Andriy Chorniy was posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" III degree and the Medal "For Military Service to Ukraine".