Artem S. Shanda (Mustanh)

Soldier Artem Shanda (call sign Mustang) was killed on August 1, 2023 near the village of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia region. During the performance of a combat mission, he received fatal injuries as a result of a strike from an anti-tank grenade launcher. The defender was 23 years old. Artem was born and lived in Poltava. He studied at the Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University. He worked in a call center. He was passionate about beekeeping and even had his own apiary. He was involved in sports, particularly freestyle wrestling and boxing, and had many awards. At the beginning of the full-scale war, the young man volunteered for the army. He fought in the ranks of the 3rd Operational Designation Brigade named after Colonel Petro Bolbochan, which later became known as "Spartan". He was a scout spotter. "Artem was brave from childhood, loved risk and sports. He was sharp-tongued, did not tolerate injustice and the weak-willed. He volunteered from the first days of the war, even though they refused him because he was generally unfit for service, as he had kidney problems. But he insisted, and they took him. He proved himself in Bakhmut as one of the most desperate and bravest assault troops. He saved the entire group when he volunteered to crawl out and throw grenades at the enemy, which allowed everyone to withdraw. He himself carried more than one comrade off the battlefield. They called us after his death and thanked us that thanks to him they are alive. Since he showed himself 200%, he was noticed, and from the same desperate ones who came out of hell alive, a separate reconnaissance platoon was created and sent to the Zaporizhzhia region, where Artem went into his last battle..." his mother Yana Viktorivna said. The national guardsman was buried in his hometown. Artem is survived by his parents and brother.