Andrii V. Solopykhin (Solo)

40-year-old senior soldier Andrii Solopykhin (call sign Solo) was killed on May 12, 2023, near the village of Orikho-Vasylivka in the Donetsk region. While carrying out a combat mission, the defender was blown up by an enemy mine. Andrii was born and lived in Kharkiv. His father was killed early, and from his teenage years the boy began to take care of his mother and sister. He studied at local schools No. 117 and No. 16. From the age of 13, he was engaged in cycling at the Dynamo sports school. In the 10th grade, he transferred to the Kharkiv Sports Boarding School No. 1, where he began to engage in road racing. In 2004, he graduated from the Kharkiv State Academy of Physical Culture with a degree in "Olympic and Professional Sports" and received the qualification of a physical education teacher and a cycling coach. He had the title of Master of Sports of Ukraine, repeatedly took prize places at the championships of Ukraine among juniors and students. After graduation, he began working in a construction company, later - in a cable TV and Internet company. Over the years of work, he studied his native Kharkiv, the names of its streets and alleys, the location of houses and various routes of movement between districts. He loved to ride a bicycle on request. Since 2019, he has started to independently perform contract work on the installation of electrical equipment and cables, later he became an employee of a Kharkiv construction company, where he worked until the beginning of the war, the last year - as the head of the metal laboratory. On March 23, 2022, Andrii voluntarily enlisted in the territorial defense forces of the Kharkiv region. He served in the 225th battalion of the 127th separate brigade of the territorial defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Immediately after training, he went to the Izyum direction. The fighter told his relatives that the first weeks of the war were the most difficult, but he and his comrades were able to hold their positions and give a worthy rebuff to the enemy. Andrii personally shot down an enemy tank with two shots from a hand-held grenade launcher. During the counteroffensive and after the almost complete liberation of the Kharkiv region in September 2022, his unit was transferred to the north of the region, where, together with other brigades, the fighter took part in the liberation of Kozacha Lopan and other settlements. For successful actions to liberate the territory, Andrii was awarded the medal "For Military Service to Ukraine". At the beginning of 2023, the defender underwent additional training in warfare and command of combat units. He was appointed commander of a unit, and in early March 2023 he was transferred to the Bakhmut direction. "He was a devoted son, a loving father and a reliable brother," said the fallen warrior's sister Olha. Andrii was buried in the Alley of Glory of cemetery No. 18 in Kharkiv. He left behind his mother, daughter, sister, nephew, relatives, friends and comrades-in-arms.