Artur V. Batii (Hans)

Defender Artur Batiy (call sign Hans) was killed on March 24, 2023, in battle with the occupiers near the village of Bohdanivka in the Donetsk region. During the enemy mortar shelling, a fragment hit the soldier in the head, and death was instantaneous. In March, the warrior turned 23 years old. Artur was born in the village of Pancheve, Kirovohrad region. He studied at the Institute of Public Administration of the V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. He was engaged in the installation of stretch ceilings. In the future, he wanted to start his own business in this field. He loved sports and driving. In recent years, he lived and worked in Kharkiv. With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Artur joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He fought against the occupiers as part of the 57th separate motorized infantry brigade named after the Kosh Otaman Kost Hordiienko. He held the position of driver-crane operator in the logistics unit of the training ground. "He was an incredible man. The world has never known a brighter and kinder person. He protected his family not only from war, but from all troubles. The way he knew how to love, no heart on this planet knows how to love. He always looked for the best qualities in people and forgave everything bad. Artur is a true patriot of the Motherland, who went to the local Territorial Defense Forces from the first days, and then to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He never hid behind other people's backs. I learned that on his first trip, he saved a medic, applied a tourniquet, and carried him to evacuation. He didn't even tell about it, because he didn't want to boast. His comrades-in-arms say that he covered them with a machine gun and they were able to move forward. They say he took down 'Wagnerites' one by one. I forbade him to rush forward and be a hero, knowing that these words would go in vain. And so it happened. At his funeral, they said that he volunteered himself," the fallen soldier's girlfriend Valeria said. "Son, I know you hear and see everything! I want you to know: you will always be in my heart. You were my friend. Your courageous, dedicated, and responsible nature has always amazed me. Your choice to become a defender of our state deserves the best awards and recognition. And for the ideal of freedom and the protection of our people, you sacrificed the most valuable - your life. You are a Hero, Artur! And not only for me, but for all those who knew you. My son himself asked to be given something more than an assault rifle, and he received a machine gun. With it, he was killed, dreaming of a family and a free Ukraine!" wrote the father of the fallen Vadym Batiy. The warrior was buried in his native village in the Kirovohrad region. Artur is survived by his mother, stepfather, father, sisters, aunt, friends, and his beloved girlfriend.