Bohdan O. Bielashov (Bielka)

Soldier Bohdan Bielashov (call sign Bilka) was killed on May 31, 2023, near the village of Stupochky in the Donetsk region. The warrior sustained shrapnel wounds during a mortar attack. Bohdan was 23 years old. He was born in Sumy. In 2006, he went to the 1st grade of a specialized school of grades I-III No. 7. From childhood, he was interested in sports, particularly football. The boy attended a football club, where he actively participated for five years, until the moment of an injury - a rupture of the cruciate ligament, due to which the doctor forbade him to engage in professional football. During his school years, he showed great aptitude for the exact sciences and the study of foreign languages, participated in Olympiads and sports competitions. He enrolled in the Sumy National Agrarian University's Professional College, majoring in "Finance, Banking and Insurance," which he graduated from in 2022. At the same time, he decided to continue his studies at the Sumy State Pedagogical University named after A.S. Makarenko. Together with his friends, Bohdan was engaged in volunteer activities, raising funds and helping children with cancer. He was happy with life and made plans for the future. With the start of the full-scale invasion, he actively engaged in volunteer work. On May 14, 2022, he voluntarily decided to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Being a 1st-year student of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics, he took an academic leave. He underwent training as an operator-scout. In November, he was transferred to military unit A4638. Since 2023, he has been defending Ukraine in the Donetsk direction. He held the position of gunner in the 3rd separate assault brigade. He was awarded the honorary badge "Golden Cross," and posthumously - the Order of Courage of the III degree. "My beloved, my Hero... He was a true, brave warrior of our country, who fought for a free life, for us. He never stopped before danger, but risked his life to the end, took responsibility for the command and carried out the assigned combat mission together with his comrades-in-arms without losses. He always showed his determination, courage, and confidence in service. For the family, friends, and everyone who knew Bohdan, this is a very great loss, a lifelong pain that will never leave us. I love you, my boy, and I know that you will be with me forever," wrote the deceased's beloved, Angela Bilan. The warrior was buried in the Alley of Glory of the Novo-Tsentral'nyi Baranivskyi Cemetery in Sumy. Bohdan is survived by his parents and a younger brother.