Danylo A. Podybailo (Naruto)

26-year-old UAV operator, Senior Soldier Danylo Podybaylo (call sign Naruto) died on June 1, 2023, defending the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk region from Russian invaders. The enemy struck the defenders' position with two missiles. Danylo was born in Donetsk. In childhood, he moved with his family to Mariupol. As a teenager, he learned to play the guitar and performed his own songs at patriotic rallies in Mariupol and various festivals. In 2015, he became the host and participant of the "Chervona Ruta" festival, winning the III prize in the "Acoustic Music" category. "Even as a student, he participated with me in the events of the Maidan. Later, when the occupation of Donetsk region began, he became a volunteer of the NGO "KCPS New Mariupol" and a member of the resistance movement. He was a fighter of the Mariupol Self-Defense," said Danylo's mother. Danylo graduated from Mariupol State University and mastered the profession of a historian. He was passionate about literature, music, and video games. In 2018-2019, he served in military unit 3057. Later, he studied IT and wanted to launch his own startup. In peaceful life, Danylo was a poet, musician, writer, and videographer. He worked as a sound and lighting operator at the Mariupol "Ukrainian House." When the full-scale war began, the man, together with his relatives, was able to leave the occupied Mariupol, but the Russians detained him near Berdyansk and took him to the police station. In the morning, they released him, and Danylo reached Kyiv. There, in the summer of 2022, he joined the ranks of the 128th battalion of the 112th separate brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He held the position of a UAV operator in the air reconnaissance unit "Angels" as part of the tactical group "ADAM." He defended Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Donetsk regions. He was awarded the medal "For Military Service to Ukraine." "Danylo is an incredible person. Kind, gentle, and courageous at the same time. Fair. Infinitely talented. Charismatic. He filled the space around him wherever he appeared. The ideal of a son, brother, friend, lover, and father," said his mother. The warrior was buried on the Alley of Heroes of the Forest Cemetery in Kyiv. He is survived by his mother Maria, sisters Myroslava and Khrystyna, civil wife Violeta, and daughter Damiana, and grandmother Romana. Posthumously, Danylo Podybaylo was awarded the title "Hero of Ukraine" and the "Golden Star" order.