Andrii S. Kotovenko (Kit)

Kotovenko Andrii Serhiiovych was born in 1983. His childhood and youth were spent in the city of Boyarka, where he graduated from Boyarka Secondary School No. 4. He obtained the profession of a locksmith, but went to work as a consultant in a household appliances store. Andrii was interested in various devices, studied their characteristics in detail, and always knew what to advise customers. In recent years, he lived in the village of Vita-Poshtova. He and his wife raised a son. He was a participant in the combat operations of 2015-2016. Despite the lack of experience, he was an effective warrior: a gunner, a mortar man, and a scout. He was the first to volunteer for all combat missions. In the battles in the Donetsk region, he was the commander of a separate mortar unit. In January 2016, he was seriously wounded near the Butivka mine while advancing through an area mined by the Russians. He underwent 22 operations in Ukraine and Germany. He refused amputation of his leg, although the doctors warned him that if the infection spread, it would be certain death. The ruptured vessels in his shrapnel-torn limb were replaced with prostheses. After rehabilitation during 2019-2021, he engaged in powerlifting in Boyarka, Kyiv region. He was a participant in the Invictus Games: Team Ukraine and the first National Team Warrior Games: Team Ukraine. He won dozens of medals in various sports at numerous international competitions. He was killed on May 2, 2022 near the city of Kharkiv. Andrii's parents, wife, and son were left without him.