Andrii S. Zhuk (Mauhli)

He grew up in the village of Kam'yanka in the Horodok district of Khmelnytskyi region. He studied at Kam'yanska Secondary School I–II degrees and Sataniv Secondary School I–III degrees. In 2005, Andriy graduated from the National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine named after Bohdan Khmelnytskyi. After graduating from the academy, he was assigned to Transcarpathia, where he was appointed the head of the border outpost. In his position, Andriy immediately faced corruption, tried to fight it, received threats, and eventually resigned. He moved to his uncle's place in Odesa and went to work. After the tragic events of May 2014, he went to the military enlistment office and later volunteered to the front. Andriy Zhuk served in the 3rd battalion of the 72nd separate mechanized brigade from August 2014, holding positions as platoon commander, company commander, battalion chief of staff, and battalion commander. He participated in battles near Starobeshiv, Petrivske, Starohnativka, in the "M" sector in the Volnovakha district, proving himself to be a strong, brave, and decisive commander who was respected and trusted. He was recommended by the brigade command for the award of the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi. He wished to continue serving in the army and studying, planning to enroll in the National Defense University of Ukraine named after Ivan Cherniakhovskyi. In the area of responsibility of the 3rd battalion, there was a 20-kilometer section of the defense line in the Volnovakha district of Donetsk region. On the evening of May 27, 2016, the battalion fighters noticed an enemy sabotage and reconnaissance group near the forest belt close to the village of Bohdanivka and reported it to the command post. Commander Zhuk, with two servicemen, drove a GAZ-66 vehicle to assist. Protecting the less experienced fighters, the commander went ahead to scout the enemy group's advance. However, during this time, the saboteurs had already approached closely and set an ambush. Three Ukrainian servicemen were wounded by enemy automatic fire, and the battalion fighters returned fire, with neighboring units providing fire support, causing the enemy group to retreat. Andriy received six gunshot wounds, one of which was fatal; he died during evacuation to the hospital. A battle ensued that lasted several hours, with the enemy covering the retreat of their group with mortars and artillery, as well as using a Grad system. Friends and colleagues said: "For Commander Zhuk, this was absolutely natural behavior. He always went ahead of his unit as the most experienced. You know why he was trusted? Everything decent gravitated towards him. A team of morally healthy and spiritually strong people always gathered around him. He never sought any privileges for himself. He ate with the soldiers. He led a Spartan lifestyle. He shared everything he had. The commander could not stand any sycophancy. He never tried to please anyone himself, nor did he allow others to do so towards him."