Bohdan A. Mykhailenko (Monakh)

Sergeant Bohdan Mykhailenko (call sign Monk) was killed on November 3, 2023, while performing a combat mission in the area of the village of Pozhnya, Sumy region. The defender was only 26 years old. Bohdan was born in Kirovohrad (now Kropyvnytskyi). In 2018, he entered the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of the Volodymyr Vynnychenko Central Ukrainian Pedagogical University. In 2022, he obtained a bachelor's degree in Labor Training Teacher and continued his studies in the master's program. He also studied simultaneously at the Odesa Military Academy. He was passionate about sports, had many certificates, and was a qualified coach. He loved cooking, especially meat. He was interested in cars. Since 2016, he has been serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He participated in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) / Joint Forces Operation (JFO). During the full-scale war, he fought as part of the 3rd separate special forces regiment named after Prince Sviatoslav the Brave. He was the deputy commander of the special forces group. For his worthy service, the soldier was awarded the Golden Cross medal and the Order of Courage of the III degree. His wife Maryna shared: Bohdan was a man with a capital letter. He wanted to win this war the most, wanted to liberate our Crimea and swim in our Black Sea in full gear, and then call me and say: 'We did it, the war is over, get ready, we're going to the sea.' He wanted to finish what our grandfathers and fathers didn't do, so that our children with him would never have to wear bulletproof vests. For me, he was the best, special, beloved. He always knew how to support me, told all his friends and comrades-in-arms that by getting married, he had found his happiness and was the happiest on this earth. He showed his love in the smallest details: no matter what time he came back from the East, he was always with flowers, leaving sweet notes... He always told me: 'There is no problem, we will solve everything, together we are a team, the Mykhailenko family.' The special forces officer was buried in the Alley of Honorary Burials at the Far Eastern Cemetery in Kropyvnytskyi. Bohdan is survived by his mother, wife, three brothers, and a sister.