Danylo O. Sikorskyi (Mark)

20-year-old defender Danylo Sikorskyi (call sign Mark) was killed on August 20, 2023, during a battle in the Bakhmut area of Donetsk region. That day, he pulled his comrade out of a tank destroyed by the enemy, but later received fatal injuries. Danylo was born in Kherson. He studied at the Physics and Technology Lyceum. He then enrolled at the Flight Academy of the National Aviation University in Kropyvnytskyi, but did not have time to graduate. In the fall of 2021, due to the coronavirus epidemic, second-year cadets were sent to distance learning. This allowed the young man to get a job at "Nova Poshta" to gain some independence. Danylo met the full-scale invasion at home, in Kherson. During the occupation of his hometown, the young man was secretly an active participant in the resistance. Together with his friends, he posted patriotic leaflets, etc. The older men in the family also did not sit idle. During the several months of occupation, the family experienced many risks, food shortages, and terrible uncertainty. In June 2022, when the opportunity arose, Danylo left for the liberated territory. In September, other family members were also able to escape. The young man went to Odesa, where he again went to work at "Nova Poshta". In July 2022, he passed the selection and signed a contract with the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Due to the fact that he was not yet 20 years old, he had to collect a lot of documents and permits. There were difficult trials, verification of physical abilities, and then several months of training. The next unspeakably difficult year he spent among those who held the fortress of Bakhmut, and after the retreat, he stopped the enemy near Andriivka. He was a machine gunner. His call sign was Mark - in honor of the Roman commander Marcus Aurelius. Danylo Sikorskyi received the awards "For Personal Courage" and "Golden Cross". In the last months of his life, he was already commanding a group. According to his mother, Danylo felt at home in the army, and if he had not was killed, he would probably have connected his life with the military. "Danya was very active at work. From a fairly young age, he tried to earn extra money - both at my company and in other places. He was always diligent, learned quickly, and did not shy away from simple work. 'Nova Poshta' was his first official job, and he was happy about it. Danya always read a lot. He was interested in ancient Greek and Roman history, the wars of the old world, and the history of Ukraine. Books were even sent to him at the front, and he read them between combat shifts," his father Oleksiy said. "He was very kind. Decent, polite, comprehensively developed, with leadership qualities. He played the guitar, practiced karate, and weightlifting," added his mother Olena. "Danylo was a good, sincere, intelligent person with a big heart. A man of his word, a man of honor. He lived worthily, loved life, fought for our freedom, and was killed as a Hero!" - noted at the Flight Academy. The young fighter was buried in his hometown. Danylo is survived by his parents, brother, other relatives, friends, and comrades-in-arms.